The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has unveiled fresh strategies to accelerate reforms and position the mining sector as a key contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth and industrial development.
The strategies were outlined at the Ministry’s 2026 Ministerial Retreat in Abuja, where management staff, heads of agencies and development partners gathered to review performance and align the ministry’s programmes with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Faruk Yusuf Yabo, described the annual exercise as a strategic leadership session aimed at translating government policies into measurable results.
Yabo said the retreat was designed to strengthen leadership, improve coordination among departments and agencies and accelerate the delivery of the ministry’s mandate through its seven priority areas.
He noted that Nigeria possesses enormous mineral deposits capable of driving economic diversification, industrialisation, job creation and increased export earnings, stressing that the country’s mineral wealth must be matched with effective leadership and strong institutions.
According to him, the ministry has moved beyond the era of “business as usual,” adding that all departments and agencies would now be assessed based on clearly defined performance targets in line with the President’s expectations.
The permanent secretary listed the ministry’s priority areas to include the establishment of the Solid Minerals Development Company, comprehensive geoscience data acquisition and strategic joint venture partnerships.
Others are formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining, strengthened mining security, reforms of the Mining Cadastre System and the establishment of mineral processing centres to promote value addition.
He urged participants to actively contribute ideas and practical solutions during the two-day retreat, saying the outcome would shape the ministry’s implementation strategy and strengthen accountability across the sector.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Steel Development, Ambassador Nura- Abba Rimi described the seven-point agenda as a practical roadmap for repositioning the mining sector.
He said the steel and solid minerals sectors are closely linked and pledged stronger collaboration in iron ore beneficiation, mineral processing, supply chain integration and local content development to support Nigeria’s industrial growth.
According to him, expanding mineral processing and value addition would reduce dependence on imports, strengthen the domestic steel industry and create thousands of jobs for Nigerians.
Earlier, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the Solid ministry, Abba Mohammed, said the retreat would review the ministry’s deliverables, deepen the performance management culture and strengthen collaboration among departments and agencies.
Mohammed urged participants to identify implementation gaps, develop practical solutions and take ownership of agreed deliverables, expressing confidence that the retreat would produce clear strategies, timelines and measurable outcomes that would reposition the solid minerals sector as a major driver of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
