The Federal Government has taken a step to help Plateau State by training 120 young people and women in small-scale mining. This training was done to boost revenue in the solid mineral sector. The training, which lasted for a week, was organized by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme. The Chairman of RMAFC, Research and Development Committee, Mr Ajasin Tokunbo, expressed concern about the low contribution of the solid minerals sector to Nigeria’s revenue earnings. He blamed this on the informal nature of the sector, which has led to a lack of formalization of activities.
Mr. Tokunbo highlighted that the solid mineral sector used to be a significant source of revenue for Nigeria in the 1970s. However, in recent years, the revenue from this sector has been very low compared to that from hydrocarbon. To address this, the RMAFC, along with other development partners, decided to train artisanal miners in Plateau State and formalize their operations. The aim is to increase revenue from the sector and reduce dependence on hydrocarbon.
The government is striving to diversify the nation’s economy by focusing on sectors such as solid minerals, manufacturing, and tourism. President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aligns with this goal. The Artisanal and Small Scale Miners make up about 80% of the Nigerian Mining sector, but their contribution to the federation account is very low due to the informal nature of their operations. The Federal Government, in collaboration with organizations like the UNDP and the EU, is working to encourage these informal miners to formalize their activities and provide them with proper training.
The project aims to address the challenges faced by the Artisanal and Small Scale Miners and promote collaboration with sub-national governments to overcome these challenges. The goal is to formalize their activities through registered cooperatives, bring them into the tax net, and increase revenue from the sector.
The United Nations Development Programme representative in Nigeria, Mr Mohammed Yahya, assured continued support to Nigeria in achieving its development goals. The UNDP donated machines and equipment to the 120 artisanal miners selected from six cooperatives in the state.
Martins Darwan, the Managing Director of Plateau Minerals Development Company, expressed gratitude to the federal government and the development partners for their support. He also appealed to the government to consider converting the mining ponds in different communities to more productive uses, such as power generation, for the benefit of the state and its people.