Exploration experts back local processing but urge the Federal Government to conserve selected high-grade deposits before increased mining depletes future supplies

Exploration geophysicists on Monday, August 24, 2026, urged the Federal Government to establish a national conservation policy for Nigeria’s strategic minerals, warning at a conference in Abuja that uncontrolled extraction could eventually leave the country importing resources it currently mines and exports.

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The warning was issued as Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake outlined renewed government efforts to improve geological data, mineral exploration and professional expertise as part of a broader push to make mining a stronger pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification.

The contrasting but complementary positions were presented at the fourth Annual International Conference and Training Workshop of the Nigerian Association of Exploration Geophysicists, which focused on the role of geophysics in resource exploration, environmental management and infrastructure development.

Representing Alake at the event, a Director at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, Hadiza Godi, said geophysics had become an important instrument for understanding and developing Nigeria’s mineral wealth.

“Geophysics is not just an academic pursuit; it is the master key that unlocks our underground wealth, protects our ecosystem, and secures the foundation of our national infrastructure,” Alake said.

He said the Federal Government had made reliable geological and geophysical information central to its mining reforms because credible data could reduce uncertainty for investors and encourage exploration.

“Accurate and reliable geoscientific data is the ultimate bedrock of mining investment,” the minister said.

The government has been expanding geological mapping and carrying out targeted high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys through the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.

According to Alake, the work has helped identify deposits of minerals increasingly regarded as important to the global energy transition, including lithium, graphite, copper, manganese and rare earth elements, alongside iron, lead, zinc and aluminium.

The Federal Government has also intensified efforts to encourage investment in mineral processing rather than allowing Nigeria’s resources to leave the country largely in raw form. Nigeria’s existing strategic mineral framework includes resources such as gold, iron ore, limestone, baryte, bitumen, lead-zinc and coal. (IEA)

However, Akin George, President of the Nigerian Association of Exploration Geophysicists, said the drive for value addition must be accompanied by a deliberate strategy for conserving deposits that have long-term industrial or national importance.

George acknowledged the government’s policy requiring investors to add value to minerals before export, saying the approach represented a significant departure from the country’s longstanding reliance on exporting raw ores.

“It is on record that the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development has made mandation for any investor that wants to mine minerals in Nigeria to subject such minerals to value addition,” George said.

He added that the policy was already encouraging investors to establish processing facilities across the country’s six geopolitical zones, potentially creating jobs and strengthening domestic industrial capacity.

But George cautioned that processing extracted minerals would not, by itself, guarantee sustainable development.

“This is a very good step in the right direction, but be it as it may, one needs to look at the whole scenario critically,” he said.

The geophysicist warned that Nigeria could exhaust deposits of strategic importance if extraction continued without determining which resources should be mined immediately, which should be reserved for domestic industries and which should remain untouched as strategic reserves.

“If care is not taken, we will wake up one day and discover that all our strategic minerals have been mined and subjected to value addition, exported abroad and gone for good,” George said.

His concern centres on the finite nature of mineral resources. Unlike renewable resources, mineral deposits cannot simply be replenished once commercially extracted.

“It is well known that Nigeria is endowed with over 34 vast, varied solid mineral resources, spread in about 450 different locations across the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT,” George said.

“It may surprise you to state here that mineral resources are not replenishable commodities. Once mined or taken away, they are not replenished.”

George therefore called for detailed exploration to establish the quantity and quality of Nigeria’s deposits before decisions are made about their extraction.

He specifically advocated the conservation of selected high-grade lithium and chromite deposits, as well as strategic resources such as uranium, platinum and bauxite where commercially viable quantities exist.

The warning is particularly relevant as demand for critical minerals rises globally because of their applications in batteries, electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and advanced manufacturing.

Nigeria has increasingly sought to position itself as an emerging destination for investment in these resources, while recent exploration has also identified high-grade deposits of platinum group metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium and rare earth elements in Kaduna State. (FMINFO)

Nigeria’s challenge is therefore becoming more complex.

The country needs investment to turn its mineral wealth into jobs, industrial capacity and government revenue, but it must also ensure that extraction does not undermine its future access to resources that could become even more valuable.

The concern is not entirely new. A 2023 assessment of Nigeria’s mining sector governance found that the country lacked a comprehensive policy, legal framework and strategy specifically addressing the designation, protection, processing and supply risks associated with strategic minerals. It also identified gaps in reliable data on the quantity of critical mineral deposits. (Nesgroup)

More recent analysis has similarly called for stronger governance of critical minerals, including clearer classification, strategic reserves, supply-chain protection and domestic processing requirements. (TheCable)

For George, the objective should therefore extend beyond increasing the volume of minerals extracted.

He argued that Nigeria must consider the needs of future industries before allowing high-grade deposits to be depleted for immediate revenue.

Otherwise, he warned, the country could eventually be forced to buy back at higher prices minerals that it had once exported cheaply.

The association is also seeking to prepare professionals for a mining industry increasingly shaped by technology. George said NAEG would continue training members in field geophysical data acquisition, processing and interpretation, while introducing artificial intelligence into the interpretation of exploration data.

“At the last conference, we outlined the achievements which the association recorded, which included training of our members on the field geophysical data acquisition, processing and interpretation,” he said.

“This we intend to continue this year at this conference, this time with the introduction of artificial intelligence in the interpretation of exploration geophysical data.”

The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Prof Shehu Ahmed, represented by a PTDF manager, Wasiru Ahmed, also pledged continued support for indigenous capacity through training, research, knowledge transfer and mentorship.

A former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Prof Musa Sada, commended the association for sustaining professional collaboration and emphasised the importance of continuous learning as technological change reshapes the industry.

For the Federal Government, the immediate priority remains unlocking more investment through better geological information and a stronger professional base.

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For the geophysicists, however, the ultimate measure of success will be whether Nigeria can turn its mineral endowment into lasting industrial strength without exhausting the resources on which future generations may depend.