Nigeria arrives at MI26 with momentum: a refreshed institutional structure, an lively licensing “sanitisation” drive that has returned dormant titles to the market, high-profile push into critical-minerals processing, and headline figures the federal government is utilizing to sign progress and entice capital.
That mentioned, gaps stay throughout predictable regulation, downstream processing capability, infrastructure, investor confidence on governance and safety, and the supply-chain readiness wanted to transform exploration curiosity into bankable initiatives.
How successfully Nigeria interprets reforms into verifiable, investible pipelines and the way it frames that story at Indaba 26 will decide whether or not it strikes from headline promise to near-term offers.
Why MI26 issues for Nigeria now
Mining Indaba is the continent’s premier mining funding platform; MI26’s theme is:
“Stronger together-Progress via partnerships”, foregrounds partnership, worth chains and downstreaming.
For Nigeria, which has traditionally under-exploited its mineral base whereas relying on oil revenues, MI26 is an opportunity to reset exterior perceptions and to anchor inbound capital into initiatives that assist jobs, import substitution, and critical-minerals provide chains for the power transition.
Attending MI26 will not be merely a advertising train; it’s a spot to floor concrete initiatives, forge offtake and processing partnerships, and safe technical and finance companions for industrialisation.
What Nigeria brings to the table- current, verifiable progress
1. Regulatory sanitisation and title clean-up. The federal authorities has revoked massive numbers of dormant or non-compliant mineral titles and strengthened the cadastre course of to scale back licence racketeering, a transfer supposed to enhance the funding local weather and unencumber enticing parcels. This “use it or lose it” enforcement has been extensively reported and is central to the federal government’s narrative.
2. Coverage re-organisation and institutional focus. The Ministry construction was cut up and retooled to create clearer upstream (mining) and downstream (metal/processing) coverage duties, positioned by officers as a technique to align licensing, native content material and industrialisation objectives.
3. Publicised injection of funding and processing plans. Abuja has promoted figures and initiatives, together with authorities bulletins of considerable international processing initiatives and deliberate rare-earth / lithium processing amenities to point out credible pipelines for downstream manufacturing. State releases cite massive investments and boosted income as proof of reform traction.
4. Digitalisation and cadastre modernisation. The mining cadastre has been digitised (eMC+ and different programs), bettering title transparency and rushing software/monitoring processes, an vital sign to traders about decreased procedural friction.
These factors would be the cornerstone of Nigeria’s MI26 pitch: credibility (we fastened licensing), pipeline (now we have initiatives and processing ambitions), and entry (we digitalised cadastre and decreased crimson tape).
Readiness evaluation and the six dimensions
1. Coverage & regulatory readability
Strengths: Seen enforcement (revocations), local-processing mandates and tighter licensing create a short-term narrative of seriousness.
Dangers/Gaps: Traders prize predictability. Frequent sudden coverage shifts, poorly defined local-processing guidelines, or advert hoc enforcement can chill funding. Clear, printed timelines for licence re-allocation, clear dispute-resolution, and secure fiscal/royalty regimes are nonetheless incomplete in public view.
2. Institutional capability & governance
Strengths: Restructuring ministries and stronger cadastre features assist streamline approvals; public relations emphasize anti-corruption and compliance.
Dangers/Gaps: Capability at subnational ranges, variability in allowing timelines between
states, and efficient enforcement of environmental and social safeguards stay unsure. Demonstrable third-party audits, functioning environmental regulators, and unbiased titling verification will probably be key.
3. Challenge pipeline & bankability
Strengths: Reported $800m+ in international commitments and new processing initiatives (authorities claims) are highly effective headlines to draw conferences.
Dangers/Gaps: Headlines don’t equal bankable, finance-ready initiatives. Traders will need JORC/NI-43-101 commonplace useful resource statements, possible mine plans, off-takes, neighborhood consent, and environmental/social influence assessments (ESIAs). Nigeria should current a slate of shovel-ready property with clear de-risking steps.
4. Downstream processing & worth addition
Strengths: Bulletins of processing crops (lithium/uncommon earths) and an specific push for native beneficiation match world demand for safe critical-minerals worth chains.
Dangers/Gaps: Constructing processing crops requires dependable feedstock, energy, water, skilled workforce and logistics. Nigeria wants to point out demonstrable progress on website choice, accomplice commitments, and energy/logistics plans, not simply MOUs.
5. Infrastructure, logistics & companies
Strengths: Nigeria’s massive home market and ports provide potential benefits if logistics are managed.
Dangers/Gaps: Roads, rail hyperlinks, and power provide to distant deposits stay weak relative to South Africa or Ghana. MI26 traders will search for credible mitigation plans (blended finance for infrastructure, PPPs, corridors).
6. ESG, neighborhood consent & safety
Strengths: Crackdown on unlawful mining and the creation of mining marshals are bought as steps to enhance safety and income seize.
Dangers/Gaps: Nigeria should reveal efficient neighborhood engagement practices, clear land/FPIC processes, remediation plans, and measurable reductions in unlawful mining. With out this, reputational and offtake threat from accountable patrons will persist.
The endgame: what Nigeria probably hopes to realize at MI26
Nigeria’s private and non-private messaging suggests a three-part endgame for MI26:
1. Appeal to anchor companions for processing and critical-minerals worth chains.
Convert curiosity into funding commitments (MOUs → HoTs → debt/fairness commitments for lithium, uncommon earths and different strategic commodities.
2. Lock in technical companions and capital for upgrading the venture pipeline.
Safe technical companions (majors, mid-tiers, engineering companies) to provide bankable feasibility research and JORC/NI 43-101 reporting, enabling mobilization of venture finance.
3. Rebrand Nigeria as an investible, downstream-oriented mining jurisdiction.
Transfer the narrative from “untapped, dangerous frontier” to “partnerable supply of important minerals with downstream ambitions,” leveraging headline progress (licence cleanups, cadastre digitalisation, and introduced crops).
Messaging & positioning- a steered playbook for MI26
Nigeria ought to keep away from obscure guarantees and as a substitute use MI26 to venture three certainties:
1. Proof over rhetoric: deliver a brief record (3–6) of bankable, due-diligence initiatives with public reality sheets: useful resource stories, allow standing, ESIA standing, native accomplice, and exact capital want (USD X million). Traders need information not forecasts.
2. Present, don’t inform, progress on governance: publish a concise two-page “reform scoreboard” displaying revocations accomplished, cadastre digital metrics (e.g., eMC+ operational metrics), timelines for title re-allocation and an unbiased audit mechanism. Traders reply to verifiable, time-bound reforms.
3. Downstream narrative anchored in partnerships: promote particular public-private masterplans for processing hubs (website, anchor investor, off-taker pipeline, ETA for plant commissioning). Place Nigeria as a accomplice within the critical-minerals worth chain slightly than merely an upstream provider.
4. Threat mitigation packages: provide clear, replicable de-risking devices: state credit score ensures for sure first-of-a-kind crops, one-stop store for allowing, fast-track grid entry corridors, and blended finance autos. This reduces perceived zovereign and venture execution threat.
5. ESG and host-community provide: current a standardized host-community engagement and revenue-sharing mannequin tied to advantages (jobs, contracting targets, native processing quotas), this reduces social licence threat and attracts ESG-sensitive traders.
Possible investor reception & geopolitical overlay
1. Traders targeted on important minerals (battery provide chains) will view Nigeria with sturdy curiosity, massive useful resource upside + geographic benefit in servicing African industrialisation and western supply-chain diversification. However they are going to demand geological transparency and dependable provide chains.
2. Main miners could stay cautious till initiatives attain feasibility and governance threat reduces additional; many will desire partnerships or earn-ins with sturdy offtake and processing ensures. Reuters and world miners’ outreach in 2024–25 exhibits urge for food however warning.
3. Geopolitical elements: competitors amongst world patrons (U.S., EU, China) for important minerals offers Nigeria leverage however provided that it could possibly credibly current processing capability and governance. Strategic partnerships (e.g., Nigeria-South Africa pact) can strengthen credibility.
Quick actions to maximise MI26 outcomes
1. Carry a verified “Prime 5” venture ebook. Every venture, useful resource assertion, ESIA standing, allow guidelines, funding wanted, and clearly outlined offtake/processing pathway.
2. Publish a compact reform scoreboard. Embody measurable indicators, variety of titles revoked/re-issued, cadastre uptime and eMC+ metrics, and timelines for excellent regulatory modifications.
3. Announce one or two credible PPP processing anchors. Even when financing is staged, announce lead companions, LOIs or conditional commitments that present industrial intent (with implementation milestones).
4. Supply concrete de-risking instruments. Current a “toolkit” of blended finance amenities, export credit score insurance coverage choices, and a timeline for tax/fiscal stability agreements for anchors.
5. Deploy an MI26 outreach workforce with clear roles. Guarantee ministers, technical leads, NMCO, and a deal-flow supervisor/entrance workplace are current to transform conferences into time period sheets and MOUs.
6. Invite credible third-party validators. Carry an unbiased auditor or revered worldwide financial institution to validate the reform claims, this builds investor belief instantly.
Efficiency metrics to trace post-Indaba (how Nigeria can measure success)
1. Variety of MOUs transformed to time period sheets (goal: 30–50% conversion inside 6 months).
2. Capital dedicated to feasibility/FS stage (USD worth).
3. New processing capability agreements (tonnage/12 months and anticipated commissioning
date).
4. Time-to-title reallocation (days) and proportion of cadastre transactions accomplished digitally.
5. ESG/compliance baselines established (variety of neighborhood consent agreements signed).
Real looking optimism, not advertising
Nigeria’s current actions present clear intent to sanitise the sector, prioritise downstream processing, and make daring bulletins to draw capital. These are crucial first steps however MI26 will separate rhetoric from readiness. To transform consideration into funding,
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Nigeria should current verifiable, bankable initiatives; clear governance metrics; and concrete de-risking devices that bridge the hole between exploration curiosity and financing/implementation. If Nigeria can deliver that to MI26, a reputable venture ebook, third-party validation, and a minimum of one anchor processing dedication; it is going to have a powerful likelihood of turning a high-profile presence into measurable industrial progress.
Victor LIMAN is the previous Chief Commerce Negotiator and Performing Director Common of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations. Mr LIMAN can be the previous Head and Commissioner, Nigeria Regional Funding and Commerce Workplace, China; with the concurrent mandate to supervise Nigeria’s commerce and funding relations with South Japanese Asian International locations. [email protected] (+234 7011276040).
