By Nana Musa
The Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) says synergy within the ECOWAS region on mining will boost investment opportunities in the sector.
The Director-General of MCO, Mr Obadiah Nkom said this when a high level ECOWAS delegation visited the organisation on Friday in Abuja.
The ECOWAS delegation was led by Mr William Baidoe-Ansah, the Director, of the organisation’s Directorate of Mining and Geo-extractives Development
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation, comprising technical experts and national representatives, was in Abuja to finalise frameworks for a regional Geo-Extractive Observatory and Mining Cadastral System.
Nkom expressed confidence that the synergy would ensure access to harmonised and verifiable data using Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms.
“The essence of the member states coming together is to ensure that they have a platform that will be easier for investors coming to ECOWAS to be able to invest,”he said.
He described the visit as a positive development, noting its importance in fostering regional growth and development.
He said that it would also facilitate easier access for investors to operate within the region.
According to him, the reforms in Nigeria’s mining sector, particularly its transition to the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+) system in 2022, reflects its drive to reposition the sector and boost investor’s confidence.
Nkom said that the drive to sanitise the mining sector as championed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has led to significant result in the industry.
The head of the ECOWAS delegation, William Baidoe-Ansah, said that its mission was to assess Nigeria’s progress as a benchmark for the proposed regional system aimed at harmonising its mining cadastral system.
Badieo-Ansah said that the initial feasibility report confirmed the viability of a regional geo-extractive observatory.
According to him, the current visit, constituting the second phase, is to ensure that each member state complies with the baseline operational standards required for full integration.
“We have moved beyond theory, the first feasibility report confirmed the possibility of a regional geo-extractive observatory.
“This second phase is about ensuring that each member state meets the baseline operational standards before full integration,” he said.
He said that Nigeria’s EMC+ system had positioned the country advantageously by providing a fully functional, transparent and accessible operational system that serves as a model.
Also speaking, a delegate, Mr Madu Fika, Chief Geologist at Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum, described Nigeria’s EMC+ system as a model of digital excellence and transparency in the extractive sector in West Africa.
Fika said that the proposed regional geo-extractive observatory and cadastral system was aimed at providing a one-stop shop for the entire region’s cadastral system.
Other delegates also emphasised the significance of the visit in harmonising operational standards across all member states, amplifying collective achievements, and fostering investor confidence throughout the region.
They also commended Nigeria’s advancements in digitising its operational system.
