Nigeria and the United States have signed a framework agreement to deepen cooperation and attract American investment into Nigeria’s mining sector, with emphasis on critical minerals, local processing and value addition.
The agreement, signed in New York on Wednesday by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, is expected to provide a platform for business-to-business transactions and investments in Nigeria’s estimated $700 billion mineral resources.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said the framework would strengthen cooperation between both countries on geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure and technical capacity.
Welcoming Landau and the US delegation to the signing ceremony at Nigeria’s Mission House in New York, Alake described the agreement as a framework capable of shaping the future of Nigeria’s mining industry.
He said, “Some agreements manage the present, and some agreements shape the future. The framework we sign today belongs to the second kind.”
According to him, Nigeria and the US had, through the agreement, affirmed a shared commitment to ensuring that critical mineral supply chains were secure, resilient and built on responsible investment.
Alake said Nigeria’s ambition was not to remain a supplier of raw materials while other countries captured the greater value from its mineral resources.
“Our goal is to turn potential into lasting value at home through stronger local processing, new skills, quality jobs, and new opportunities for Nigerian businesses,” he said.
The minister said the framework would enable both countries to collaborate on geological data, exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure development and technical capacity.
He added that effective implementation of the agreement would support the economic diversification objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and accelerate industrial growth.
Alake, however, said the signing was only the beginning of the process, stressing that both countries must now translate the agreement into concrete investments and projects.
“Now comes the harder and more important work: moving from agreement to implementation. A signature is a promise, results are the proof. In the months ahead, we will identify viable projects, mobilise investments and build the commercial partnerships that deliver measurable benefits to our nations,” he said.
Responding, Landau said the United States regarded Nigeria as a key partner, describing the country as Africa’s fastest-growing economy, its most populous nation and a regional power.
He said the agreement would create opportunities for greater prosperity in both countries, adding that the United States was willing to support Nigeria’s economic growth.
“The signal we are sending is that the United States and Nigeria are partners,” Landau said.
He added that the administrations of US President Donald Trump and President Tinubu had achieved several milestones in bilateral relations over the past one and a half years.
“Under President Trump and President Tinubu’s leadership, the United States and Nigeria have done many things together in the last one and a half years that we’ve never done before. I think we will like to keep building on that momentum,” he said.
Members of the US delegation included the Deputy Assistant Secretary for West African Affairs, Rich Michaels; the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southern Africa, Foreign Assistance and Critical Minerals, Chris Kulukundis; the Senior Policy Adviser to the Deputy Secretary, Wyatt Toehlkeke; and Jitu Sardar.
The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Engr Yusuf Yabo; the Director-General, Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, Engr Simon Nkom; the Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi; and the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, Martin Imonitie, witnessed the signing ceremony.