The recently-appointed Nigerian Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite has made a commitment for the ministry to become more involved in the annual Nigeria Mining Week. “We want to put some life in Nigeria Mining Week and we want to deepen what happens”, Minister Adegbite said to loud applause at a pre-event press briefing at the ministry in Abuja on Tuesday morning.
The fourth annual Nigeria Mining Week conference and exhibition is taking place from 14-16 October in the Nigerian capital at the NAF Centre.
Minister Adegbite said that during discussions this week with the organisers of the event, the Miners Association of Nigeria, the MAN President Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Kankara had asked the ministry to become more involved with Nigeria Mining Week. The ministers said they had agreed that the event should always be private sector-led but that as the host ministry, it should become more involved. He added: “Nigeria is not known as a mining destination yet. We want to attract the right people and the right names to be at the Mining Week. The planning for the next Mining Week will start at the end of this one.”
The packed press briefing was also addressed by the MAN President Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Kankara, PwC Nigeria’s Habeeb Jaileoya and Kudakwashe Tsingano, Business Development Director: Nigeria at Spintelligent – both organising partners of the event.
Ms Habibah Waziri, Country Manager of ITM NIGERIA and Fadi A. Ghazale, Managing Director of AG Vision Mining Ltd, were also part of the panel – both companies are gold sponsors.
The event is expected to attract more than 1200 mining experts, 180+ mines and exploration companies, 40+ sponsors with more than 24 countries represented