The Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) says that Dangote Group and six foreign companies are currently raising funds from the capital market to begin full-scale mining this year.
Mohammed Amate, the Director-General of the office, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja listed the minerals as gold, coal, iron-ore and lead/zinc.
He
said it had become imperative for the Dangote Group and foreign
companies to raise funds from the capital market for the mining since
the projects are capital-intensive.
Amate named the foreign companies as Kogi
Mines Ltd, Segilola Nig. Ltd, Mines Geotechniques Nig. Ltd, Northern
Numero Resources Ltd, West African Polaris Investment Ltd as well as Tongyi allied and Mineral Services Ltd.
He
said that the companies had completed their exploration exercises and
delineated the deposits, while obtaining mining leases (licences) to
mine gold and other minerals in the country this year.
“Indeed,
according to the reports we have received, most of the companies have
commenced development and this will eventually lead to actual mining. No
financial institution will be willing to fund any mining operation
until the company carries out adequate bankable feasibility studies,
under Joint Ore Reserve Committee specifications recognised
internationally,” he said.
He
said Kogi Mines, an Australian mining firm, would mine iron at Agbaja in
Kogi, while Segilola Nig. Ltd would mine gold at the Iperindo axis of
the IIesha gold schist belt in Osun.
Geotechniques
Nig. Ltd and Northern Numero Resources Ltd, both Australian companies,
would mine gold in Kebbi, while Dangote Group would mine coal in Kogi
and Benue states.
The West African
Polaris Investment Ltd, a Chinese company, will mine tin and columbite
in Nasarawa state and the Tongyi allied and Mineral Services Ltd,
another Chinese company, will mine lead/zinc in Wasa, Plateau state.
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