The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for increased investment stakes in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

He said there have been positive reforms that promise higher returns on investments in the sector.

Alake spoke at this year’s China Mining Conference with the theme: Connect and Collaborate, Co-Build and Co-Share, in Tianjin.

The minister assured his host that the security situation in Nigeria has improved tremendously.

He said the sector has witnessed security reforms, including the establishment of Mining Marshals and the satellite mines monitoring project

He said these were introduced to protect licensed miners and curtail illegal mining.

Alake cited the upgrades in technology to ease doing business and processing applications, such as the Electronic Mining Cadastre (EMC+), the Nigerian Mineral Resources Decision System (NMRDS), the Centre of Excellence, and the websites of the ministry and agencies, as unique utilities to improve remote transactions globally in Nigeria’s mining sector.

Reviewing the Chinese mining business, he minister acknowledged that investments in lithium processing alone grossed $1.3 billion since September 2023.