Nigerian gov’t to broaden funding base for SMDF with establishment act
Story from Abah ADAH, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, has said that his ministry is planning for the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) under the ministry to have an establishment act which would empower the agency to source funds from the private sector.
The minister made this known during the presentation of two batches of equipment by the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (ES/CEO) of the fund, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi to the minister, according to a statement signed by the Minister’s media aide, Ayodeji Adeyemi.
The equipment delivered were Niton DXL Precious Metal Analyzer and Mettler Toledo Precision Analytical Balance.
Adegbite noted that SMDF was performing its statutory function to equip the mining departments and agencies and to enable the ministry to perform its oversight and supervisory role.
The minister commended the leadership of the agency, for the procurement of the equipment which would help the ministry’ s officers at the field to identify the right amount and quantity of specific minerals.
Adegbite said: “The SMDF is fulfilling one of its obligation to the department and to the ministry. And I think we should develop on this, so that there can be total synergy that would culminate in what we are planning for SMDF to have an establishment act with a view to empowering it to really get its own funds.
“Once we are able to do this it would be greatly beneficial for all of us as SMDF would be in the position to raise funds even outside government from the private sector. And of course it can only be beneficial to the sector as a whole as they support the ministry to carry out its functions and oversight and supervisory function and helping the miners out there to fulfil their aim.”
The minister stated further that the knowledge acquired by the various departments in the ministry such as Mining Inspectorate, MI, Artisanal and Small Scale Mining, ASM, Mine Environmental Compliance, MEC would be made available to SMDF.
Hajiya Shinkafi, during the presentation of the equipment to the ministry, affirmed that the fund was just performing its statutory function of equipping mining institutions to enable them perform their roles better.
“The Niton DXL precious metal analyser will enable nondestructive analysis of metals with near instantaneous results. It is exceptionally fast, easy to use, results appears in seconds on a bright, touch-screen colour display. It requires no harsh chemicals or acids that can burn your fingers, ruin clothing and damage countertops.
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“Faster and more comprehensive analysis than fire assay, with comparable accuracy. The assay machine also eliminates the need for density test that is crude and inaccurate.
“The instruments that we are presenting today will enable the determination of the purity and weight of golds on seconds. So we are presenting today both assaying instruments and precision weighing instruments. We are confident that this instruments will support the Ministry’s ASM clusters across the country with these types of equipment,” Shinkafi explained.
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