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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

Nigeria offers 4,000 abandoned mine pits to investors for energy, tourism

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Nigeria's government has identified over 4,000 abandoned mine pits in Plateau State as potential sites for energy, tourism, and fishery investments.
  • The initiative aims to transform these dangerous sites into productive economic assets through public-private partnerships.
  • This comes after a recent incident where seven people died in a collapsed mine pit, highlighting the risks of illegal mining.

The Nigerian Federal Government is looking to transform over 4,000 abandoned mine pits in Plateau State into economic opportunities, signaling a shift from hazardous remnants of past mining to potential centers of prosperity. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced that these sites, largely created by the Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies, are being offered to private investors for development in energy, tourism, and fishery sectors.

This strategic move follows a tragic incident where seven individuals lost their lives due to the collapse of an abandoned tin mine pit in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Alake used the tragedy to warn illegal miners against entering unlicensed pits, emphasizing that such accidents could be avoided with proper cooperative formation and permits. He also assured licensed artisanal miners of access to ministry training and more sustainable income sources.

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 the challenge and the opportunity presented by abandoned mine pits in Plateau State.

The government views public-private collaboration as the most effective path to repurpose these legacy pits. Alake stated that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has already begun rehabilitating 59 abandoned pits and is employing advanced technologies like Geographic Information System satellite mapping and Artificial Intelligence to assess and plan for the reclamation of thousands more. The goal is to convert these "potential pits of death" into "centers of joyful prosperity."

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

— Dele AlakeInviting private sector participation in the transformation of abandoned mine sites.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, 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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