Nigeria Mining Week’s Digital Event: a Golden Opportunity to Show the Way Forward for Country’s Mining Industry

Abuja, Nigeria, September 24, 2020 --(PR.com)-- The Nigerian authorities are focused and ready to promote the country’s mining sector’s future and the opportunities it offers investors and project developers. The programme for the upcoming Nigeria Mining Week Digital Event, taking place from 12-16 October, offers an extensive range of sessions that showcases how the various sectors are gearing up for a veritable explosion of the mining industry.

These range from highlighting the synergy between ministries contributing to the development of the mining industry and of the nation’s economy as a whole, to finance, to powering the mines, to formalising artisanal mining and showcasing the different opportunities and success stories in a number of Nigerian States.

Programme session highlights:

- Keynote opening session: Inter-ministerial discussion - A continuous collaboration for growth
- Horizon 2030: Preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
- Deep dive into strategic commodities of interest, including limestone, gold, lead and zinc.
- Product showcases: New tools and solutions for small-scale miners, with industry solution providers.
- Finance: Key actions to support the mining sector today.
- A to Z guide to investment in Nigerian Mining.
- Power to the mines: How can the industry become more energy independent?
- Formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining: The urgent need to formulate adequate policies.
- The ESG regulations and best practice.
- Creating a ‘Women In Mining’ champion programme for sustainable development.
- The mine of the future: Mechanisation and automation in Nigeria.

The online platform will also feature a who’s who of expert speakers, headed up by Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, amongst others.

Also confirmed so far are:

- Hajia Fatima Shinkafi, Executive Secretary, Solid Mineral Development Fund (SMDF), Nigeria
- Obadiah Simon Nkom, Director General, Nigeria Mining Cadastre, Nigeria
- George Heppel, Senior Analyst Base, CRU International, United Kingdom
- Laide Gana, Director, Commodity Port Ltd, United Kingdom
- Ebipere Clark, Ag. Special Assistant (Energy) to the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria
- Wandisile Mandlana, Partner, Bowmans, South Africa
- Kevin Joseph, MD, Nivek Mining, Nigeria
- Ibrahim A. Abdullahi, Special Adviser to the Governor, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
- Barbara Dischinger, Director, International Women in Mining, UK
- Frank Dixon Mugyenyi, Chairman, Board of Minerals Africa Development Institution, Uganda

“Minister Adegbite is a great supporter of the event and has given the digital move his seal of approval,” says Sabrina Tab, Nigeria Mining Week’s event manager. “The minister also has been true to his word and has participated in two of our live, topical webinars in the run-up to the Digital Event so far.”

Minister Adegbite stated in the most recent broadcast that: “In the absence of international roadshows, we have engaged through webinars. In the interim we are working on our policies locally and getting good results in cooperation with our partners and the Nigerian States.”

Digital Event – what to expect
“It is clear that the industry is eager to engage, ask questions, find solutions and close deals,” says Sabrina Tab. “The Nigeria Mining Week Digital Event in October will offer five days of free, interactive content and engagement with an expected 2000 attendees.”

The online platform will include nine webinar sessions, four technology shootouts, nine roundtables, a matchmaking platform and an exclusive interview series with key stakeholders from the mining industry. Some 30 sponsors and exhibitors will participate, proving that Nigeria’s mining sector is becoming a key destination, not only for investment but for local and international industry suppliers of specialised services and technology.

The full programme and speakers can be viewed on the event website.

Successful transition to digital
The Nigerian mining sector has come out in full support of the Digital Event. The organisers recently announced several high-level sponsorships by longstanding partners who are well-known in-country entrepreneurs, expert advisories and project pioneers.

Emotan Global Ventures Limited are the returning diamond sponsors for both the digital and the live events, while AG Vision, Minelab, Nigachem Nigeria Ltd, PUNUKA, PW Nigeria (PWN), Rapidlink and Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO) are all gold sponsors.

Recently it was announced that due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety concerns, Nigeria Mining Week will proceed as a digital event from 12-16 October this year, while the live event will reconvene in Abuja on 11-13 October 2021.

Nigeria Mining Week is organised by the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) in collaboration with PwC and Clarion Events Africa and is supported by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. This year marks the fifth edition of the event, which has garnered increasing interest over the years.

Nigeria Mining Week dates and location:
Digital Nigeria Mining Week keynote opening session: 12 October 2020
Digital conference: 12-16 October 2020
Online networking sessions: 12-16 October 2020
Live conference and exhibition: 11-13 October 2021
Live location: International Convention Centre, Abuja, Nigeria