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ABUJA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A dialogue on how to revitalize the mining sector in Nigeria has opened in Abuja, the nation's capital, with government representatives, stakeholders and foreign investors in attendance.
The three-day conference, which opened on Tuesday, was, according to the organizers, put together in an attempt to formulate a holistic strategy as the solution to the underdevelopment of Nigeria's mining sector.
At a pre-conference media briefing, the Nigerian government said it will revitalize the mining sector, properly regulate it and introduce ways by which more jobs can be created. More than five million people are currently engaged in informal mining activities in the West African country.
Philip Andrews a keynote speaker at the conference, said it is not a surprise that so many people are engaged in mining activities in Nigeria, particularly because the regional geology in Nigeria is very simple, just as the mineralization as well.
Andrews, a chief executive officer of an Irish mining firm, noted that solid minerals in Nigeria had a great history but is now facing a new frontier. He also recalled that the country was one of the biggest tungsten-producing countries in the world.
President of Nigeria's Progressive Miners Association Sunny Ekozin urged the Nigerian government to bring back the good old days in which, prior to the oil boom in Nigeria, the African nation was impressively sustained by solid minerals.
"This is a sector that has sustained the economy of the nation in the past. It is a sector that has attracted infrastructure development. It is a sector that has created jobs for the nation," he said, adding as a sector that has also brought foreign direct investment and with new technology of exploration, of mining and beneficiation, the sector was in the best position to diversify Nigeria's economy.
The Nigerian government recently developed a road map on exploration and data collection of natural resources in the country, to determine the location, quantity and viability of deposits. Enditem
