Nigeria, Türkiye sign deal on solid minerals development

Nigeria and Türkiye have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the solid minerals sector, in a move aimed at strengthening economic ties between both countries.

The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, on the sidelines of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit (INRES).

Alake, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant, Lara Owoeye-Wise, said Nigeria was ready to leverage Türkiye’s technological advancement and expertise in mining exploration, training, digitisation, licencing systems, and capacity building to accelerate reforms and growth within the sector.

Alake said President Bola Tinubu has given full backing to efforts aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with Türkiye in the mining and energy sectors.

“Nigeria is open to working with the Turkish government to strengthen governance structures, improve technical capacity and advance sustainable mining development in our country,” he said.

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The minister noted that reforms introduced in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector had transformed the operating environment and made the sector more attractive to genuine investors.

Alake, who is also the Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, said the federal government had introduced measures to sanitise the sector, improve ease of doing business, and provide incentives for foreign investors interested to build long-term partnerships in Nigeria.

On his part, Bayraktar described the new partnership with Nigeria as strategic and timely, noting that global energy security now required stronger international cooperation and connectivity.

Bayraktar commended the Nigerian government for the reforms and initiatives already introduced in the solid minerals sector, stating that Turkish companies were eager to invest in Nigeria.