SMDF, ORD Lead to Establish Nigeria’s First Mining Finance Framework Amid Sector Funding Gaps
By Fatima Saka
The Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) in partnership with the Ore Reserves Development Forum (ORD) will on December 9 convene a national workshop in Abuja to design a sustainable financing framework aimed at unlocking capital for Nigeria’s mining sector.
In a statement appended by Abdulmajeed Amussah, Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary of SMDF, the one-day event titled “Building a Sustainable Mining Finance Framework for Nigeria” will hold at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The workshop will address one of the mining industry’s most persistent challenges, miners’ limited access to financing due to weak investor confidence in geological reporting, project transparency and data integrity. It will bring together miners, bankers, regulators, government agencies and industry leaders to strengthen the link between credible geological information and bankable project financing.
Participants will explore minerals reporting standards, project financing pathways from exploration to production, policy and regulatory incentives and the development of a credible mining finance ecosystem for Nigeria.
Chairman of ORDF, Uba Saidu Malami, said the workshop is a critical step toward restoring trust in Nigeria’s mining value chain.
“The mining sector can make a significant contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth. However, many promising projects fail to attract funding because investors do not fully trust available data. This workshop will enable stakeholders to work together to build a transparent and reliable system that supports investment and long-term sector development,” he said.
The statement also stated that at the end of the workshop, a draft Mining Finance Framework will be produced for review by a technical working group comprising institutions across the sectors.
List Of ORDF Workshop Participants as follows:
1. Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – SEC Towers, Plot 272 Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun Street, CBD, Abuja
2. Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) – 16 Yedseram Street, Maitama, Abuja
3. President, Nigerian Stock Exchange – Stock Exchange House, Customs Street, Lagos
4. Dr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development – Wuse II, Abuja
5. Managing Director, Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) – Plot 975, Kur Mohammed Avenue, CBD, Abuja
6. President, Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) – NEXIM House, CBD, Abuja
7. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance – Ahmadu Bello Way, Garki, Abuja
8. Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) – BOI House, CBD, Abuja
9. Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment – Old Secretariat, Garki, Abuja
10. Aminu Umar Sadiq, MD, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) – Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja
11. Group Managing Director, Dangote Industries Limited – Adamawa Plaza, CBD, Abuja
12. Hon. Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, Chairman, House Committee on Solid Minerals – National Assembly Complex, Abuja
13. Kimberlite Africa – Maitama, Abuja
14. National Space Research and Development Agency – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway, Abuja
15. Director General, Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) – Utako District, Abuja
16. Peacock Mining Services Ltd – Constitution Avenue, CBD, Abuja
17. PW Mining Services Ltd – Maitama District, Abuja
18. Raw Materials Research and Development Council – Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja
19. Segilola (Thor Exploration) – Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos
20. National Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) – Moleye Street, Yaba, Lagos
21. Competent Person – Dr. Warwick Crowe
22. Women in Mining – Millenium Builders Plaza, CBD, Abuja
23. Representative, Australian Stock Exchange
24. Finance Expert – Jon Callagan, Montt Capital
25. Senate Committee Chairman on Solid Minerals – National Assembly Complex, Abuja
26. Kaduna Mining Development Company (KMDC) – Namadi Sambo Complex, Kaduna
27. Zuma Mineral Development Company – Minna, Niger State
28. Yobe Mining Development Company Ltd (YMDCL) – CBD, Abuja
29. Nasarawa NASIDA / MinCo – Lafia, Nasarawa State
30. Benue State Geomining Company Ltd – Old GRA, Makurdi, Benue State
31. New Frontier Development – Ministers’ Hill, Maitama, Abuja
32. African Union PARC
33. Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) – Abuja & Lagos Offices
34. Nigerian Bar Association – Muhammadu Buhari Way, CBD, Abuja
35. Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers & Geoscientists (COMEG) – Gwarinpa, Abuja
36. Nigerian Society of Economic Geologists (NSEG)
37. Nigerian Institution of Metallurgical, Mining & Materials Engineers (NIMMME) – Ikoyi, Lagos
38. NACCIMA – CBD, Abuja
39. New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) – Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna
40. Aluko & Oyebode (ALN Chambers) – Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja
41. Society of Geophysicists and Computational Geoscientists (SGCG) – Lokoja, Kogi State
42. The World Bank – Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja
43. Olaniwun Ajayi LLP – Leadway House, CBD, Abuja
44. Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) – Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Abuja
45. Ministry of Steel Development – Wuse II, Abuja
46. Embassy of the Republic of Iraq – Diplomatic Drive, CBD, Abuja
47. Royal Institute for Training & Human Capital Development – Zuma Rock, Niger State
48. The Gems, Jewellery and Precious Metal Confederation of Thailand
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