By Oke Peter
Organizers of the leading mining event in Africa, the Nigeria Mining Week has announced that the conference and expo returns to Abuja for its ninth edition from 18 to 20 November 2024. This landmark gathering of mining pioneers, investors, regulators, suppliers and service providers in the region’s burgeoning extractive industry will take place at the Abuja Continental Hotel in the Nigerian capital. The organisers of the event had to change the dates and the venue after the Abuja International Conference Center was closed unexpectedly due to renovations.
The event is organised by the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) in collaboration with PwC Nigeria and Vuka Group and is hosted by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
“Everything is in place”
“The changes in dates and venue have been unfortunate and due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control,” says Samukelo Madlabane, Event Director at event organisers VUKA Group. “However, we have worked tirelessly and done our utmost to find an excellent alternative venue with world-class amenities in the Nigerian capital and to keep the event dates as close to the original dates as possible to avoid too many changes in travel plans for speakers, exhibitors and delegates.”
“Moreover, the new venue, the Abuja Continental Hotel, offers state-of-the-art conference facilities and will not affect the quality of the 2024 event. On the contrary, the new venue enhances the experience with its modern fixtures, aligning with the event’s status as the premier mining event in Nigeria with Abuja fast becoming known as the country’s mining hub.”
Madlabane continues: “All that said, everything is in place for another compelling and groundbreaking event, and the team is looking forward to meeting up with our clients, industry allies and VIPs. We are incredibly grateful for the commitment and support shown by our longstanding partners.”
Hearts and souls of Nigerian miners
Dele Ayanleke, President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) says the organisation is enthused by the confirmation of the new venue and dates: “MAN has been proud to see the development and growth of a real Nigerian mining family since the start of Nigeria Mining Week. The heart and soul of this event is not necessarily connected to the bricks and mortar of a venue, it is in the heart and soul of each and every passionate miner, developer, investor and service provider in Nigeria, men and women; each of whom wants to see their family, village, region, state and country prosper and develop through the fair and equitable exploitation of the extractive industry.”
He continues: “We look forward to welcoming the event and the participants to Abuja. We know that the conference and expo has grown in size, stature and reputation, and the quality of the programme, the expert speakers and the specialist exhibitors and service providers always speak for themselves. This year will again not disappoint.”
In his reaction, Cyril Azobu, Partner & Mining Leader, PwC Nigeria stated that “Nigeria Mining Week remains the one event shaping the Nigerian mining landscape. With its vast and untapped exploration opportunities with widespread project development upside, Nigeria remains the investment destination of first choice for discerning mining companies and investors.”
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has said in a statement: “The Federal Government is unwavering in its commitment to develop the mining sector by creating an enabling environment for players in the industry to thrive. Since its inception, Nigeria Mining Week has become an important and indispensable partner and forum to communicate with the mining community, locally and globally, in our journey to unlock the vast and abundant natural resources that Nigeria has, and in the process grow the mining sector and expand the economy.”
Conference highlights preview
The theme of this year’s Nigeria Mining Week conference is “From the inside out: Building the mining sector to be the cornerstone of Nigeria’s economy.”
Here is a snapshot of the main conference sessions at this year’s Nigeria Mining Week:
Propelling Nigeria’s mining sector as an economic pillar: An investment perspective; Building Nigeria’s iron and steel industry through mineral economic linkages; The iron and steel industry and Nigeria’s industrialisation: Exploring cooperation with Japan; Reevaluating Nigeria’s strategic and critical minerals: A framework for sustainable development and national security; Strengthening Nigeria’s mining policy, legislative, regulatory and institutional framework for transformational socio-economic impact; Navigating subnational roles in Nigeria’s mining sector: Lessons from global practices on mineral resource federalism; Optimising Nigeria’s brownfield and greenfield mineral assets for economic growth: Lessons from global mining reforms and privatisation; Leveraging the Nigerian capital market to build Nigeria’s mining finance ecosystem and Nurturing a junior mining sector in Nigeria among others.
