Nigeria Mining Week Targets Investment, Critical Minerals and Local Processing

 

By Atlantic Reports

The 11th Nigeria Mining Week will seek to connect mining operators with investors and explore opportunities for local mineral processing as stakeholders gather in Abuja from 12 to 14 October.

The event, themed “Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships”, is expected to attract more than 3,000 participants and 90 sponsors and exhibitors, according to a statement issued on Saturday by Bunmi Aliyu, Marketing Consultant to the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN).

Organised by MAN in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, the gathering will examine investment opportunities in the solid minerals sector, including critical minerals used in energy transition technologies.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is the event’s transparency partner.

Aliyu said international experts and mining companies would discuss critical minerals, while participants from Business Sweden, Zambia’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and Tanzania’s mining industry would contribute perspectives on trade, transparency and inclusion.

“This year’s line-up brings capital, market intelligence and policy expertise to Abuja from across the globe,” she said.

Moving Beyond Raw Mineral Exports

Cyril Azobu, Partner and Mining Industry Leader at PwC Nigeria, said Nigeria needed to position itself as a destination for investment, processing and value addition, rather than simply a supplier of raw minerals.

His remarks put domestic processing at the centre of discussions about Nigeria’s place in an increasingly competitive global minerals market.

The programme will examine the country’s potential role in battery, magnet and electric vehicle supply chains. Other sessions will cover the gold value chain, integrated steel production, iron ore supply and industrial minerals.

Seven forums, including deal rooms and technical workshops, are planned to encourage direct engagement between operators and investors.

Partnerships and Participation

MAN National Chairman, Dele Ayankale, said developing the sector required cooperation across institutions and businesses.

“No single party can carry the weight of the transformation Nigeria requires,” he said.

Ayankale described Mining Week as a platform for connecting policy with practice and bringing investors into direct discussions with operators.

He said Nigeria had made progress in mineral exploration, formalising artisanal mining, attracting investment and adopting modern technologies for sustainability. The statement did not provide figures to establish the scale of those gains.

The Women in Extractive Industries Forum will examine technical, operational and leadership opportunities for women in mining, broadening the programme beyond investment and production.

While organisers expect the gathering to encourage deals and practical partnerships, the announcement did not identify confirmed investment commitments. Its outcomes will depend on whether discussions produce funded projects, processing capacity and wider opportunities across the mining industry.

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