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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

FG targets abandoned mine pits for energy, tourism

From The Punch · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Nigeria's government plans to transform over 4,000 abandoned mine pits in Plateau State into sites for energy, tourism, and fishery investments.
  • The initiative aims to repurpose dangerous sites into productive economic assets through public-private partnerships.
  • This follows a recent tragedy where seven people died in a collapsed mine pit, highlighting the need for safer practices and reclamation efforts.

Nigeria's Federal Government is embarking on an ambitious plan to repurpose over 4,000 abandoned mine pits across Plateau State, transforming them from hazardous sites into hubs for energy, tourism, and fishery investments. The initiative, spearheaded by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, seeks private investors to partner in this significant reclamation and economic development effort.

The announcement comes in the wake of a tragic incident where seven individuals lost their lives in a collapsed abandoned tin mine pit in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Minister Alake used the tragedy to warn illegal miners against entering unlicensed pits, emphasizing that forming cooperatives and obtaining permits are crucial for safety and sustainability. He commiserated with the victims' families and urged artisanal miners nationwide to learn from the incident.

The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity. There are over 4,000 mine pits dug by the mining conglomerate Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies- Consolidated Tin Mines Limited and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Limited.

— Dele AlakeDescribing the scale of abandoned mine pits and the opportunity they present.

Alake highlighted that these pits, dug by former mining giants like Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited, represent a challenge but also a significant opportunity. The government aims to convert these "potential pits of death" into "centres of joyful prosperity." The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has already begun reclaiming abandoned pits, with plans to deploy advanced technologies like Geographic Information System satellite mapping and Artificial Intelligence to identify and assess legacy sites for practical reclamation strategies.

The government is actively seeking investors interested in repurposing these sites for various ventures, including energy generation, tourism development, and aquaculture. Public-private collaboration is seen as the most effective route to convert these abandoned sites into valuable economic assets, diversifying their use beyond their historical mining purpose.

The government welcomes investors interested in repurposing these pits for energy, tourism and fishery projects.

— Dele AlakeInviting private sector participation in the reclamation initiative.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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