Nigeria And African Countries to leverage on vast natural resources for sustainable development

Favour Ishember, Abuja

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with other African countries with a view to continuing the sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe stated this during the briefing of the Diplomatic Community on the upcoming Africa Natural Resource and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS-2023), scheduled to hold between 31st October to 2nd November, 2023. The event  held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Headquarters in Abuja.

During the interactive / briefing session with the Diplomatic Corps,  the Permanent Secretary explained  that through the AFNIS Summit, which is an African knowledge sharing platform initiated by the Nigerian Government,  Nigeria will  work with fellow African Nations to continue the sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources through knowledge sharing, investment and trade.

She said further  ” this forum  was

initiated to strategize on how Africa can continue to receive investment from its vast mineral resource deposits while also protecting its environment. The Summit thus provides a global platform for Africa to encourage investment in its Power, Energy (Oil and Gas) and Mining sectors.”

With preparations for the  upcoming 2023 Edition of the African Natural Resource and Energy Investment Summit ( AFNIS) in top gear;  Dr Ogbe urged African Countries and its Allies to participate in building on the successes recorded during the maiden edition of AFNIS held last year 2022.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, posited that it was high time Africa gave adequate attention to develop its huge natural and energy resources for the benefit of the African continent, adding that “a better Africa can be achieved” with AFNIS.

Speaking, Managing Director, Core-I-Mine and co-founder  AFNIS, Dr. Abubakar Lawal,   stated that the theme of the summit – ”Towards a Just Transition” – is apt as it “will explore strategies to address challenges linked to the shift from fossil fuels, with a focus on minimizing adverse impacts on economies rooted in these sectors”.

To further butress his position: he said ” AFNIS 2023 central objective is  to strike a delicate balance that supports Africa’s mining and energy sector growth, harnessing fossil fuels for industrialization, while concurrently aligning with global climate change mitigation efforts”.

The three-day Summit will be attended  by government officials from African countries, industry experts, academics and business leaders;  with an  agenda to deliberate on the intricacies of achieving a just transition within the mining and energy domains amongst others.