By Palma Ileye
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has charged agencies under the Ministry and its personnel to develop a fresh seven-point agenda aimed at accelerating the growth of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
Speaking at the Ministry’s 2026 Annual Ministerial Retreat in Abuja, themed: “Aligning the Ministerial 7-Point Agenda with the Presidential Mandate,” Alake said while the Ministry’s existing reform agenda remained on course, it was time to begin charting new priorities to take the sector to greater heights.
He explained that the current seven-point agenda would not be abandoned because several initiatives were already at advanced stages of implementation.
“I want to charge every one of us to come up with initiatives that will take us beyond those seven-point items on our agenda. If we can develop a new seven-point agenda that takes us even higher, we will continue to move forward,” he said.
The Minister urged participants to use the retreat to identify areas requiring improvement and propose innovative ideas capable of transforming the sector.
According to him, institutional effectiveness remains the foundation for achieving meaningful progress, stressing that policies and investments can only deliver sustainable results when backed by professionalism, ethical conduct and commitment by personnel.
He said the Ministry must also focus on increasing the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), noting that beyond revenue generation, mining should have a measurable impact on economic growth and national development.
Alake encouraged participants to think creatively in attracting higher-value investments capable of developing the entire mining value chain rather than concentrating on raw mineral extraction.
He also identified improved investment policies, stronger security, public-private partnerships and enhanced local value addition as critical areas requiring attention.
On host community development, the Minister reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring mining companies comply with Community Development Agreements (CDAs) and corporate social responsibility obligations.
He disclosed that he had requested the list of companies that had failed to sign or implement their CDAs, warning that non-compliant firms risk revocation of their mining titles.
Alake recalled that the Ministry had previously revoked more than 3,000 mineral titles to enforce compliance and improve sector governance.
The Minister also called for tougher measures against illegal mining, noting that although the ministry’s primary responsibility was regulation, security agencies must play a greater role in tackling armed illegal miners.
He revealed plans to strengthen the Mining Marshals through improved operational capacity, including the provision of armoured vehicles, security equipment and adequate funding.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, described the retreat as a strategic leadership session designed to align the Ministry’s vision with the administration’s development agenda and improve service delivery.
He said Nigeria’s abundant mineral resources—including lithium, gold, tin, columbite, lead, zinc, iron ore, coal and limestone—have the potential to drive industrialisation, economic diversification, job creation and increased export earnings.
Yabo, however, stressed that mineral wealth alone would not guarantee development without effective leadership, strong institutions and disciplined implementation.
Also speaking, Sen. Ekong Sampson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, said the sector had recorded significant milestones but required increased budgetary support to realise its full potential.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Hon. Jonathan Gaza, commended the Ministry’s reform agenda but described funding for the sector as inadequate, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accord mining the priority needed to drive economic diversification.
Also, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Steel Development, Abba Rimi, pledged continued collaboration between both ministries to advance Nigeria’s mining and industrial development objectives.
Meanwhile, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mohammed Abba Abdullahi, said the retreat would strengthen performance management, inter-agency collaboration and implementation of measurable targets in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
