The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has emphasised that Nigeria’s capital market is critical to building a sustainable mining sector.
Alake made this known at a webinar on “Unlocking Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Potential through the Capital Market”, organised on Wednesday by the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) in partnership with the Nigerian Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) OTC Securities Exchange.
Represented by his Senior Advisor on Mining and Policy, Amira Waziri, the Minister explained that the capital market provides a platform for mobilising long-term financing for exploration and project development.
“Through the capital market, we can support junior mining companies to list, raise funds and scale operations. It will help to facilitate securitisation and monetisation of geological assets, and channel institutional capital into infrastructure and processing hubs,” he said.
He noted that the webinar was timely and marked the beginning of a broader national conversation on using structured capital to unlock mineral wealth.
Alake further expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with SMDF and other stakeholders to develop bespoke instruments, listings, and frameworks that will attract investment into the solid minerals sector.
Analysts say the remarks highlight the Tinubu administration’s growing focus on positioning mining as a key driver of economic diversification and industrial growth.
