The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has urged African nations to take sovereign control of their natural resources by halting the export of raw minerals and prioritising domestic value addition through local processing and industrialisation.
The minister said the continued export of unprocessed mineral resources deprives the continent of critical economic benefits, including job creation, technological advancement, and sustainable development.
Alake made the call on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the 4th African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2025) held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He also announced that the Federal Government had issued 867 mining licences resulting in N6.95bn in generated revenue from licensing fees in just the first quarter of 2025, a direct result of Nigeria’s aggressive reforms in the mining sector.
According to Alake, the Mining Cadastre Office received over 10,000 title applications within the three months, processed 955, and approved 867 mining titles, which included 512 exploration licenses, 295 small-scale mining leases, 60 quarry leases, and five large-scale mining leases.
