The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has called for stronger value chain development in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector to enhance export earnings and drive sustainable economic growth.
Mrs Nonye Ayeni, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, NEPC, made the call at a one-day workshop on Saturday in Minna.
The theme of the workshop is “Advancing Solid Minerals and Rare Earth Elements Through Value Chain Development and Beneficiation for Sustainable Economic Growth.”
Ayeni, who was represented by Mrs Oyinkan Duke, Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Solid Minerals Directorate of NEPC, said the programme was timely.
She said that Niger State was richly endowed with a wide range of solid minerals capable of transforming Nigeria’s export sector if properly harnessed.
According to her, the state possessed vast deposits of gold, tantalite, columbite, cassiterite and lithium-bearing minerals.
Ayeni said that other minerals found in the State included kaolin, feldspar, talc, marble, granite, silica sand and iron ore.
“These minerals present enormous opportunities for domestic industrialisation and export expansion.
“However, the true wealth of these resources lies not in extraction alone but in processing, beneficiation and value addition,” she said.
Ayeni disclosed that the National Council on Export had in 2025 approved the inclusion of solid minerals under the “One State, One Product” initiative.
She explained that the initiative was designed to help States develop export-ready products, increase export volumes and reduce rejection of Nigerian products in international markets.
The NEPC boss said that Nigeria had over the years exported largely unprocessed solid minerals, adding that this affected foreign exchange earnings and job creation.
She said that the council’s mandate includes export diversification, value addition and product enhancement under its “Double Your Export campaign.”
“In doubling exports, it is not merely about increasing volume; it is about increasing value.
“To achieve this in the solid minerals and rare earth elements sector, we must strengthen mineral processing, promote beneficiation and integrate small-scale miners into export clusters,” she said.
Ayeni urged participants at the workshop to contribute professional insights and practical ideas that would reposition the sector for export competitiveness.
She reitrated NEPC’s committment to capacity building, market intelligence support, quality and standards compliance guidance as well as cluster development initiatives.
According to her, the council is focused on transforming Nigeria from a raw mineral exporter into a competitive global supplier of processed and value-added mineral products.
Ayeni expressed optimism that collective efforts by stakeholders would help build a solid minerals sector capable of driving sustainable economic growth in the country.
A participant, Mr Alexander Udoma of Erolin Mining Limited, said his company was exploring opportunities to export its mineral products after gaining new insights into export procedures.
Udoma said the company, which mines and adds value to minerals, operates a processing facility in Munya Local Government Area and currently sells most of its output in the local market.
He explained that with the knowledge gained from the programme, the company now understood the procedures required to export mineral products.