The new focus on mining—Kankara

The 2019 Nigeria Mining Week holds in Abuja between October 14 and 16.

Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Kankara, President of the Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, who is expected to deliver the welcome address, in this exclusive interview, culled from Nigerian Mining Week website, talks about what to expect at the conference including his commitment to ensuring that  players in the Nigeria mining industry are able to access the desired growth incentives in a manner that the sector would, sooner than expected, ranks one of the biggest government’s  sources of revenue. The conference which is expected to draw participants across continents has PwC and Spintelligent as major stakeholders

What is your focus as the new President of MAN?
As the President of MAN, my vision for the association is to see that miners are given an enabling conducive environment to practice their legitimate business without any security challenges and harassment from the host communities or the host state governments by partnering with the government security agencies e.g. police, Civil Defence Corps, state governments and community leaders. 

I also wish to improve the productivity capacity of an average miner through sourcing of intervention funds and equipment from federal and also encourage state governments, World Bank, NEXIM Bank, BOI and other foreign and local investors to come on board and move mining to the next level.

I also wish to raise the level of the mining sector to make it another big source of revenue earning for the nation and increase the GDP of Nigeria. I also wish to make our association as another big employment generator to the teeming youths that are roaming about looking for jobs. 

What are the expectations at this year’s Nigeria Mining Week?
Our expectations  for Nigeria Mining Week 2019 are that we hope to make this year’s session a big forum where the Nigerian miners can showcase the huge resources of solid minerals endowed to the nation and also bring together both national, African and international investors to appreciate the richness of our solid minerals and help Nigeria take the mining sector to the next level by investing heavily in the sector. I hope to make this year’s Nigeria Mining Week 2019 to be the most successful week ever held. May God help us.

Advice  to stakeholders

I encourage state governments, World Bank, NEXIM Bank, BOI and other foreign and local investors to come on board and move mining to the next level.