As part of efforts of government to unlock the investment opportunities of the Nigerian mining sector, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake has unveiled the Nigerian Mineral Resource Decision Support System.
Alake, who performed the ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, said described the platform as another evidence of the unalloyed commitment of the Tinubu administration to the growth and development of the solid minerals industry, adding that it is designed to drive sustainable investment by empowering investors and other relevant stakeholders in the industry.
He explained that the NMDSS will play a strategic role in supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for economic growth and development, adding that the platform, which is user-friendly and highly interactive is another innovative approach put in place by the administration to drive the realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.
The Minister stated: “Nigerian Mineral Resource Decision Support System is crucial to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because it creates a critical instrument for economic growth and development,” Dr Alake stated. “It is an investor-friendly magnet that seeks to cut the cost of investment research.”
According to the Minister, the new Support System provides investors with instant access to essential data, including geological surveys, infrastructure maps, and environmental information, adding that it helps to eliminate the need for costly travel and streamlines mining investment process.
“The significance of this software to ease of doing business in the Mining sector is obvious,” Dr Alake noted. “It answers the questions bothering any investor in the mines: Is there labour to employ? Is there a river or stream that I can use its water for processing? Is there a network of roads to haul my excavated materials to the factory?”
Alake explained that the Federal Government is committed to increasing the contribution of the solid mineral sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria.
He explained that “Globally, oil is dwindling. Minerals are rising and by the grace of God at the end of the gestation period of all our policy initiatives when the results begin to manifest across the board. Nigeria will begin to grow, move on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which is coming up to one year in a few weeks to come.”
Unveiling the Nigerian Minerals Resource Decision Support System (NMRDSS), the minister said the country had to move with the shift in attention from oil to Solid Minerals and the shift from reliance on fossil oil to reliance on solid.
He however noted that investors and players in the sector are met with difficulty in accessing inadequate information on the sector, hence the design of the platform to enhance, and provide technological communication and accessibility in the mining sector.
Alake said when the platform is fully operational, it would not only cut the cost of investment research in the sector, it will also provide needed information that will guide prospective investors in making well-informed decisions.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Mary Ogbe, called on Nigerians to embrace the NMDSS and contribute to the growth and development of the mining sector, adding that the administration will continue to provide enabling support to investors.
She said: “It is time for us to stop ill talking about our country… there is no country without challenges, they have all passed through these stages. Nobody will market our country for us.”
