Türkiye eyes investment opportunities in Nigeria’s mining sector

The Republic of Türkiye has expressed interest in investing in Nigeria’s mining, energy and hydrocarbon sectors following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both countries on solid minerals development.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit held in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the partnership would enable Nigeria to benefit from Türkiye’s technological advancement and expertise in mining exploration, training, digitisation, licensing systems and capacity building.

“Türkiye is one of the countries we are confident of building strong bilateral cooperation with, particularly in the area of solid minerals development. Nigeria is open to working with the Turkish government to strengthen governance structures, improve technical capacity, and advance sustainable mining development in our country,” he said.

Alake said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had fully supported efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Türkiye in the mining and energy sectors, adding that reforms introduced in the sector had improved the operating environment and attracted genuine investors.

He added that the Federal Government had implemented measures to sanitise the sector, improve ease of doing business and create incentives for long-term foreign investment, while assuring investors of security and lawful mining operations.

The minister also disclosed that Mining Marshals had intensified operations against illegal mining, leading to the arrest of over 300 illegal mining operators, including foreign nationals, while more than 150 prosecutions were ongoing across the country.

Responding, Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, described the partnership as strategic and timely, noting that Turkish companies were eager to expand investments in Nigeria.