The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), is working with stakeholders and researchers for the development of solid minerals sector as panacea to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda. BINTA SHAMA reports.
Study, shows that Nigeria is endowed with over 34 commercially viable solid mineral deposits that spread across the country. Since 1903, the country had been involved in exploration and exploitation of some of these minerals till independence 1960. Among the minerals exploited during these period are mostly tin, columbite, and coal which contributed to economic development. The annual Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Solid Minerals Audit Report put total revenue from the sector in 2013 at N33.86 billion, and in 2014 at N55.82 billion accounting for just 0.11 per cent of GDP.
