{"id":118840,"date":"2025-05-16T20:42:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=118840"},"modified":"2025-05-16T20:42:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:42:59","slug":"nigeria-leads-west-africas-digital-mining-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigeria-leads-west-africas-digital-mining-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria Leads West Africa&#8217;s Digital Mining Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigeria&#8217;s strides in digital mining governance have drawn regional acclaim, as a high-powered delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) concluded a technical visit to the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) in Abuja on Friday, 16th May 2025.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visit is part of ECOWAS\u2019s broader effort to establish a unified Geo-Extractive Observatory and Mining Cadastral System across member states.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Led by Mr. William Badieo of the ECOWAS Commission, the delegation included national representatives and sector experts who commended Nigeria\u2019s pioneering Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+) system, a web-based platform introduced in November 2022 to enhance transparency and ease of doing business in the mining sector.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addressing the delegation, Director-General of the MCO, Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom, described the visit as a milestone not only for the agency but for Nigeria\u2019s entire extractive industry.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOur transition from manual, paper-based processes to a digital, GIS-enabled platform positions Nigeria as a trailblazer in Africa\u2019s mining sector,\u201d Nkom said. \u201cThe goal is not only national development but continental collaboration.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nkom noted that Nigeria\u2019s reform agenda, underpinned by the 2011 Mining Regulations, reflects a deliberate move toward a transparent and professionally managed sector. \u201cThis system is built by technical experts engineers, geologists, not politicians. And that\u2019s what builds investor trust,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also conveyed the support of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, for the regional initiative. \u201cThe Honourable Minister is fully behind this project. He strongly advocates for regional integration and believes in creating a seamless, investor-friendly ecosystem for West Africa,\u201d Nkom added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his remarks, Mr. Badieo explained that the visit aimed to assess Nigeria\u2019s progress as a reference point for the regional mining data integration project.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe are now in the implementation phase,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first feasibility study confirmed viability. This second stage focuses on operational readiness, and Nigeria is clearly ahead of the curve.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Praising Nigeria\u2019s EMC+ system, Badieo said, \u201cWhat we saw today goes beyond theory. This is a fully functional, transparent and accessible system that stands as a model for the region.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Eugene Norman, who heads Sierra Leone\u2019s Mining Cadastre Office and is part of the ECOWAS delegation, stressed the importance of learning from Nigeria\u2019s experience.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cMember states operate different systems, but we are working toward a harmonized approach. Nigeria\u2019s progress offers valuable lessons, what to emulate, what to improve,\u201d he said. \u201cPeer learning like this is essential for raising standards across the board.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Madu Hassan Fika, Chief Geologist at Nigeria\u2019s Ministry of Petroleum and an ECOWAS delegate, described his experience with the EMC+ as transformative.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIt was eye-opening. I honestly did not expect such an advanced digital platform,\u201d Fika said. \u201cThis has changed my understanding of how far Nigeria has advanced in digital governance of its mining sector.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fika emphasized that regional standardization of digital systems would boost transparency, investor confidence, and competitiveness. \u201cNigeria has the capacity and experience to lead this transformation,\u201d he noted.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The delegation is in Nigeria to finalize the technical review of a second feasibility report that will guide the development of a unified regional mining and extractive database.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigeria\u2019s EMC+ platform, is designed by the MCO, enables real-time online management of mining titles, from application to renewal, ensuring transparency and efficiency for both investors and regulators.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tracy Moses Nigeria&#8217;s strides in digital mining governance have drawn regional acclaim, as a high-powered delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) concluded a technical visit&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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