The Federal Government, on Tuesday, launched the Nigeria Mineral Resources Decision Support System (NMDSS) to boost the ease of doing business in the mining sector.
Speaking during the launch in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, said that the portal will expand access for prospective investors to critical information on Nigeria’s mineral deposits, policies guiding the mining sector, and incentives for investment from anywhere in the world.
The NMDSS is a communication tool designed to enhance the government’s strategy to ease business in the solid minerals sector.
Highlighting its cost-saving opportunities, the minister said prospective foreign investors would save on the costs of travel and accommodation by logging onto the website to find answers to their inquiries.
He said, “With this launch today, anywhere you are in the world, with a click of a button, you can access all the information you require to make informed investment decisions about the mining sector.”
Alake emphasised that the support system will assist critical stakeholders in the mining sector and potential investors to garner the requisite information, bringing them closer to the industry and providing answers to pertinent questions about mineral deposits and mining infrastructure, among others.
On efforts to sanitise the mining sector, the Minister revealed that the nefarious activities of illegal miners are being curbed by the recently unveiled mining marshals, while about 152 cooperatives have been formed by artisanal miners to legalise their operations, in line with his 7-point agenda.
In his remarks, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Tunji Olubunmi-Ojo, lauded the transformative leadership that his solid minerals counterpart has brought to bear on the mining sector, noting that the launch of the NMDSS is a game-changer that will attract more foreign investments.
He said, “Saudi Arabia today has a non-oil industry contributing over 50% to her Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If Saudi Arabia can do it, Nigeria can do it, and the journey starts with the Ministry of Solid Minerals.
“With a workaholic and visionary minister like Dr. Alake, working earnestly to attract the big players and also supporting local operators, the sky is the starting point. For us in the Ministry of Interior, we are here to support because a reformed mining industry is the pivot of the Renewed Hope agenda.”
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe, in her closing remarks, charged critical stakeholders in the mining sector and Nigerians at large to market the nation’s vast solid minerals potentials, stressing that reforms of the present administration are steadily repositioning the mining sector.
The NMDSS is a comprehensive software platform that serves as a one-stop shop for investors seeking credible and decisive information about Nigeria’s mineral resources, facilities, and infrastructure.
