The Minister of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite has said Nigeria will soon become a major gold-producing hub in West Africa that will generate more non-oil revenue and create jobs for its teeming youth population.
According to his spokesman, Ayodeji Adeyemi, the minister, while marking his one year in office, noted that government was creating an enabling environment across the gold value chain.
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He said: “Today we have exploration in Osun State through the Segilola Gold Project, which is projected to start producing in the first half of 2021. The project is expected to create about 400 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs.”
Adegbite recalled that the first batch of the artisanally-mined gold bars were purchased by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at a presentation ceremony to President Buhari in Abuja recently.
On the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, he said the global travel restriction occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic was preventing technical experts from Russia from coming over to the plant to audit it.
He added that, “I am hopeful that Ajaokuta will come on stream before the end of President Buhari’s tenure, and when that happens, it is poised to create thousands of jobs.”
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