By Palma Ileye
The Federal Government has encouraged women to take advantage of expanding opportunities in Nigeria’s mining sector as reforms intensify to transform the industry into a major contributor to the nation’s economy.
The call was made by the Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi, at the inaugural Annual Lecture of the Faculty of Physical and Earth Sciences, University of Lagos. She urged more women to pursue careers in mining, stressing that the sector offers equal opportunities regardless of gender.
Shinkafi explained that ongoing reforms in the solid minerals sector are creating new opportunities for professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors, including women who have traditionally been underrepresented. She noted that Nigeria aims to raise the mining sector’s contribution to GDP from less than one per cent to three per cent by 2030, leveraging stronger collaboration among government, industry and academia.
Nigeria is endowed with more than 44 commercially viable mineral resources across over 500 locations, while solid mineral exports rose to about ₦354 billion in 2025. Revenue from the sector increased from about ₦16 billion in 2023 to ₦38 billion in 2024, and exceeded ₦70 billion in 2025, with reforms attracting about $1.3 billion in investments since 2023, including a proposed 1.5-million-tonne alumina refinery.
She attributed the sector’s renewed momentum to reforms under the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development’s Seven-Point Agenda, which include the establishment of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, expansion of geological data, formalisation of artisanal mining, deployment of Mining Marshals, revocation of over 2,500 inactive licences, and increased local mineral processing.
Shinkafi also highlighted the Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE), launched in June, as Nigeria’s first competitive funding programme dedicated to university-based geoscience research. The initiative will support mineral exploration, critical minerals research, and postgraduate research projects.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to supporting national mining development through research and innovation. The pioneer Dean of the Faculty, Professor Olayinka Taiwo Asekun, announced that the university would participate in the EMERGE programme, with applications opening on July 10, 2026.
Shinkafi emphasized that increasing women’s participation in mining is essential to unlocking the sector’s full potential, noting that inclusive growth would strengthen innovation, improve productivity and support Nigeria’s drive towards economic diversification.
