Nigeria, UK To Set Up Working Group On Mining Development

The Nigerian government and the United Kingdom have resolved to form a joint technical working group to harmonise partnership for the development of critical mineral deposits in the country.

UK deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden had met the minister of solid minerals development, Dr. Dele Alake, on the sidelines of the Mines and Money Conference in London late last year and expressed his country’s interest in Nigeria’s Lithium.

As a follow-up to that parley, a delegation of the British High Commission led by Deputy High Commissioner Johnny Baxter, on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to the minister in his office.

He restated his country’s readiness to fine-tune details of collaboration that will culminate in investments in the mining sector value chain.

In a statement by special assistant on media to the minister of solid minerals development, Segun Tomori, Tuesday, Dr Alake while welcoming the British delegation stressed that the President Tinubu administration was improving the ease of doing business in the mining sector through a new security architecture for natural resources, installing an efficient governance structure through the establishment of a private-sector led Nigerian Mining Corporation amongst others.

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On his part, Baxter lauded Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy, asserting that efforts of the minister to give visibility to the mining sector had attracted the attention of the international community.

Both countries thereafter agreed to follow through with a joint technical working group that will herald the partnership and foster investment in the mining sector.

On the delegation of the British Deputy High Commissioner were political counsellor Tom Burge; Senior Political Adviser, Wale Adebajo and Trade Market Access Lead, UK Department for Business and Trade, Simeon Umukoro.