Nigeria and South Africa have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in mining development, a key pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda. The MoU, formalized by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, and South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, H.E. Gwede Mantashe, is part of the renewed Nigeria–South Africa Bi-National Commission, jointly advanced by both Presidents.
Key highlights of the MoU include:
• Capacity Building in Geoscience Applications Using UAVs: Developing local expertise in drone-based geological applications.
• Advanced Mineral Exploration Technologies: Joint use of multi- and hyper-spectral remote sensing tools for mapping and exploration.
• Strategic Geoscientific Data Sharing: Facilitated by the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) to enable critical mineral intelligence exchange.
• Training in Mineral Processing: Programs focused on value addition and beneficiation of raw minerals.
• Elemental Fingerprint Technology: Knowledge sharing on LA-ICP-MS for accurate mineral identification and traceability.
• Exploration of Agro and Energy Minerals: Unlocking Nigeria’s vast potential in agro-minerals and energy resources.
This partnership not only accelerates technology transfer and investment promotion but also enhances regional integration, job creation, and local content development. It reflects President Tinubu’s forward-looking leadership in positioning Nigeria as a continental hub for responsible and strategic mining.
— Kamorudeen Yusuf, Personal Assistant on Special Duties to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.