By Palma Ileye
Ore Reserves Development Forum, ORDF and the Solid Minerals Development Fund, SMDF, have announced that all was set to host a One-Day workshop titled: “Building a Sustainable Mining Finance Framework for Nigeria.”
The workshop which will hold on the 9th December, 2025 in Abuja aims to address one of the mining sector’s biggest challenges – the difficulties miners face in securing financing due to limited investors confidence in geological and project data.
According to a press release signed by Abdulmajeed Amussah, the Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary, SMDF and made available to newsmen, the event will bring together miners, financial institutions, government agencies, regulators, and industry experts to strengthen the link between geological reporting, project transparency, and access to finance.
The statement stated that participants will explore key topics such as mineral reporting standards, the financing lifecycle of mining projects, policy and regulatory incentives, and the development of a credible and functional mining finance ecosystem for Nigeria.
Speaking about the event, the Chairman of ORDF, Uba Saidu Malami, said that the mining sector can make significant contributions to Nigeria’s economic growth.
However, he explained that many promising projects fail to attract funding because investors do not fully trust available data reaffirming that this workshop will enable stakeholders to work together to build a transparent end reliable system that supports investment and leng-term sector development.
At the end of the workshop, it is expected that a draft on Mining Finance framework will be developed, reviewed and refined by a technical working group representing key institutions across the mining value chain.
It stated that the workshop curriculum includes: “The role of mining finance in Nigeria’s industrial development; Fundamental standards for reporting mineral resources; Financing pathways from exploration to production; Policy, regulatory, end market incentives for mining; Designing a practical and efficient mining finance systems; Consensus on standard reporting systems and frameworks and A draft mining finance framework to guide next steps.”
The statement disclosed that the ORDF was the outcome of the Geological Society of Nigeria, GSN, Roundtable 2.0, which brought together technical, regulatory, financial, trade and policy experts to critically examine barriers to unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s solid minerals endowment.
The press release stated that it became resoundingly clear that bridging gaps in ore reserve classification, technical capacity, and structured financing, particularly through the Capital market requires a collaborative and multi sectoral approach anchored on sound industrial policy and sustainable investment framework.
The statement disclosed that the Director General, Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama; Executive Secretary, Solid Mineral Development Fund, SMDF, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi; President, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Temi Popoola; Minister Solid Mineral Development, Dr. Dele Alake; Managing Director, Nigeria Export-Import Bank, NEXIM, Abubakar Abba Bello; President, Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, Dele Ayanleke; Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun among other key stakeholders that made the long list of participants in the workshop.
