Nigeria has signed a mining cooperation agreement with Türkiye to access Türkiye's expertise in mining exploration, technology, and workforce training.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the sidelines of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, with Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake and his Turkish counterpart, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, putting pen to paper.
Alake said the deal has the full backing of President Bola Tinubu.
He also pointed to three years of sector reforms as evidence that Nigeria is now a more credible destination for mining investors, citing improvements in profit repatriation rules and the general ease of doing business.
Alake added that over 300 illegal mining operators have been arrested, more than 150 prosecutions are currently ongoing, and over 100 illegally occupied mining sites have been recovered and returned to licensed operators.
The figures are intended to signal to prospective investors that Abuja is serious about cleaning up a sector long plagued by illegal activity.
The interest from the Turkish side appears to go beyond mining.
Minister Bayraktar said Turkish companies are ready to invest in Nigeria and indicated that Ankara is also eyeing opportunities in energy and hydrocarbons.
He asked that Nigeria's government be formally notified of Türkiye's desire to renew broader energy cooperation between the two countries.
Nigeria holds significant untapped mineral wealth, including lithium, gold, iron ore, and coal, but the sector has historically underperformed relative to its potential, hampered by poor infrastructure, weak regulation, and the dominance of illegal operators.
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