Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Roadmap (2016)

What Is This Policy?

The Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Roadmap is the Federal Government's strategic blueprint for transforming the solid minerals sector into a major pillar of economic diversification — outlining targeted interventions, investment pathways, and institutional reforms to grow the sector's contribution to GDP from under 1% to a significant share, reducing Nigeria's dependence on crude oil revenue.

Who Does It Target?

Domestic and international mining investors, explorers, and project developers Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) operators across Nigeria's mineral-rich states State governments in priority mineral zones seeking to attract investment and share in royalty revenues Financial institutions and development banks providing project finance to the mining sector Host communities in solid mineral-producing areas seeking environmental and social safeguards

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Grow solid minerals' contribution to GDP from ~0.3% (2016) to a significant double-digit percentage over the medium-to-long term Create 250,000+ direct mining sector jobs and substantially more indirect employment across the value chain Formalise artisanal and small-scale mining — removing illegal operators from the informal economy into the regulated sector Complete a national geoscientific database to attract bankable investment into Nigeria's largely unexplored mineral estate

Key Features

Critical Minerals Priority: Identifies 44 commercially viable solid minerals: lithium, gold, iron ore, coal, limestone, bitumen, barites, gemstones, and others Geoscience Database: Mandate for comprehensive national airborne geophysical surveys and geological mapping to provide investor-grade data World Bank MEGA Project: $150M+ World Bank-supported Mining and Mineral Governance Accelerator (MEGA) to accelerate sector formalisation and investment Artisanal Mining Formalisation: Dedicated ASM framework to register, support, and regulate small-scale miners — stopping illegal exports and reducing violence in mining communities Mining Revenue Transparency: Full participation in NEITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) reporting for solid minerals royalties and revenues Critical Minerals Strategy: Aligns with global demand for battery minerals (lithium, cobalt, tantalum) — positions Nigeria as a supply source for the global energy transition

Current Status

The Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Roadmap (2016) is active and being implemented, as it outlines the Federal Government's strategic interventions for the sector.

Legal Framework

The Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Roadmap operates under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, the Mining Cadastre Office Act, and the National Metallurgical Development Centre Act. It aligns with the Minerals and Mining Regulations 2011, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act 1992, and Nigeria's obligations under the African Mining Vision. The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development provides the implementing mandate.