Mining

NPL Advisors is the financial adviser for Optiva Securities, a United Kingdom based mining and investment organization who wants to acquire mining licenses in Nigeria. A delegation from NPL Advisors and Optiva Securities recently paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in Abuja , Nigeria. The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite and his Ministry Officials welcomed the delegation to his office.

Those at the meeting included, from the head of the table left to right, all sitting: [1] The Nigerian Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, [2] The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NPL Advisors, Francis Nwokedi, [3] The Chief Executive Officer Optiva Securities Ltd, Christian Dennis, [4] The Technical Director Optiva Securities Ltd, Douglas Hamilton, [5] The Executive Director and Head of Oil and Gas NPL Advisors, Confidence Shielu, [6] The Corporate Finance Executive Optiva Securities Ltd, Mariela Jaho. Also at the meeting was the Executive Director and Head of Energy NPL Advisors, Duro Omogbenigun and Associate Director NPL Advisors, Michael Osu.

The Minister who expressed joy over Optiva Securities Ltd’s interest in Nigeria’s mining sector, stated that Nigeria has huge investment opportunities in the mining and minerals sector. The Federal Government is intensifying efforts at attracting direct foreign mining investment. He also told the delegation that Nigeria’s mining sector is now technology-driven and that it is now easy for investors to access information about the mining sector, apply for a licence and certificate online.

In his remarks, Francis Nwokedi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NPL Advisors, said that even though Optiva Securities Ltd has invested in a number of projects across Africa, this was the first time that they were showing a keen interest in coming to Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer, Optiva Securities Ltd, Christian Dennis who led the team said that the company had been in Africa and added that they are on a fact-finding mission to Nigeria because of its key interest in exploring investment opportunities in the precious metals and battery metals sector.

Also speaking was the Director General, Abdulrazaz Garba, Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, who commended Optiva Securities Ltd for expressing interest to invest in the mining sector. He told the delegation that the Federal Government has provided funds for massive exploration of the mineral potentials of the country. The seven minerals identified include Coal, Bitumen, Limestone, Iron Ore, Barites, Gold and Lead/Zinc Ore.

In another remark, the Director, Investment Promotion and Mineral Trade, IPMT, Yunusa Mohammed, noted that the visit of the investor is an indication that the Ministry’s effort at wooing and attracting international investors is yielding positive results.

The visit to the Ministry was on the heels of the ‘Mines and Money’ conference held by the Federal Government in London in December 2021 to woo investors to the country’s mining sector. The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite enjoined the delegation to visit other Agencies of the Ministry, for them to grasp the mining potentials in the country.

The delegation then visited the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) where the Director General of the MCO, Engineer Obadiah Simon Nkom and his team welcomed them. He pledged the readiness of the country’s mineral licensing agency, the Mining Cadastre Office to collaborate with reputable investors in the organized private sector in order to achieve the mandate of the present administration in the mining sector, adding that Public-Private Partnership can drive huge investment into the mining sector. He said that the government collaborated with the World Bank to upgrade the agency’s system and it is compatible with the rest of the world, stating that with electronic Mining Cadastre (eMC+) application based system, a ready-made platform has been provided for investors all over the world to come on board.

On the successful completion of its mission, the members of the delegation returned to London, the United Kingdom and Lagos, Nigeria. In the weeks since the visit to Nigeria, NPL Advisors and Optiva securities have taken positive steps to actualize the venture.