TheCable

The federal government says it will work with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a professional services firm, to execute the policies under the seven-point roadmap to transform the solid mineral sector.

Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, spoke when Habeeb Jaiyeola, partner and head of mining sector business development at PwC, visited the ministry, according to a statement on Sunday.

During the visit, Alake thanked the consulting firm for its contribution to the mining sector over the years.

He said the expertise and ideas of PwC “will be factored into reforms of the mining sector and implementation of the seven-point agenda”.

He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focusing on the sector as a game changer in order to reposition the country for lasting prosperity.

On his part, Jaiyeola expressed the readiness of PwC to partner with the ministry in achieving the objectives of the seven-point agenda which seeks to make solid minerals a key sector to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country. 

“We summarised our thoughts on the seven-point agenda, looking at it and suggesting how to bring it to life whilst advising on pitfalls and how to avoid them,” Jaiyeola said.

“The major thing is that at the end of the tenure of the administration, there will be key deliverables that can be monitored, and the roadmap on how each of them is going to be achieved and projected. 

“We will be open to further deliberations on how we can proceed by comparing notes.”

 The minister recently reeled out a seven-point agenda tagged ‘Agenda for the Transformation of the Solid Minerals Sector for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity’.

According to the statement, the agenda includes the creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, big data on specific seven priority minerals and their deposits, comprehensive review of all mining licenses, and others.