The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has urged the Federal Government to give priority to the development of the mining sector in northern Nigeria, describing it as a key driver of industrial growth, job creation, and poverty reduction.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit 2025 in Abuja, NEF Chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, said mining remains one of the region’s most underutilised assets despite its abundant mineral resources.
Abdullahi explained that the summit, themed Unlocking Northern Nigeria’s Mining, Agricultural and Power Potentials (MAP2035), serves as a 10-year blueprint for transformation.
He highlighted the multiplier effects of properly harnessed mining such as industrial expansion, new jobs, poverty reduction, and renewed prosperity when linked to value chains and supported with strong infrastructure.
He noted that while agriculture and rail networks had historically powered the North’s economy, mineral wealth offers equally significant opportunities if backed by deliberate government policy.
According to him, the region’s rich solid minerals, fertile land, and human capital are undermined by poor infrastructure, including railways, roads, power, and storage facilities.
Abdullahi added that meaningful government policies must place clear priority on mining and related industries. He further situated the call within the historical context of northern industrialisation. In the 1960s, cotton, groundnuts, and tobacco drove economic growth, while the oil boom of the 1970s spurred investments that transformed Kano and Kaduna into hubs for textiles, leather, and food processing.
By the 1980s, expansion reached cement and steel production, but progress was slowed by corruption, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent policies.
The forum emphasised that renewed focus on mining could restore the North’s industrial strength and contribute significantly to national economic development.
