The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, gave the charge on Tuesday in Abeokuta at an Interactive Forum for Solid Minerals Stakeholders on Value Addition, Packaging and Marketing for the Development of the Solid Minerals Sector.
Ayeni, represented by the Ogun State Coordinator, Mrs Olajumoke Abolaji, stressed that value addition remains the backbone of growth, competitiveness, and sustainability in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
She said Nigeria was blessed with 44 commercially viable minerals such as gold, tin, lithium, iron ore and coal, which could become major export earners if properly processed.
She, noted that the continued export of raw, unprocessed minerals had limited the sector’s contribution to the nation’s economy.
"The most significant challenges facing the sector is the lack of value addition, proper packaging, lack of market access, lack of requisite certification, and formalisation.
"Most of our solid minerals are exported in their raw form, without value addition, which limits their market value and potential for economic growth.
“Adding value through processing and refining will enhance product quality, increase global competitiveness, and create jobs for Nigerians.”she said
Ayeni explained that value addition, along with proper packaging and effective marketing, would position Nigeria’s solid minerals to meet international standards and attract investors.
She said NEPC’s focus was on promoting value addition, strengthening export capacity, and leveraging technology and innovation to expand the country’s non-oil export base.
The NEPC boss added that the National Council on Commerce and Industry had approved the inclusion of solid minerals in the One State, One Product (OSOP) initiative to promote beneficiation and visibility in the sector.
She, however, urged participants to take advantage of available opportunities in the solid minerals sector and partner with the NEPC to promote sustainable development.
In her remarks, the Ogun State Coordinator of NEPC, Mrs Abolaji, said the engagement aimed to transform the state’s mineral endowments into globally competitive products through value addition and export development.
“Ogun is richly endowed with minerals that can drive industrial growth if we focus on processing rather than exporting raw materials,” she said.
Delivering a lecture on Promotion of Solid Minerals Value Chain Development for Export Competitiveness, Mrs. Duke Oyinkan, Chief Trade Promotion Officer at NEPC, said Nigeria exported solid minerals worth $125 million in 2024, with over 80 per cent of mining activities still informal.
She stressed the need for formalisation and beneficiation, noting that processing minerals locally would increase revenue, enhance quality, and boost Nigeria’s image in the global market.
Also speaking, Mr Olatunji Salau, Chief Standard Officer at the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), emphasised that packaging and labelling were integral to value addition and market acceptance.
“Packaging is not just about protection; it is about perception. How a product is presented determines how it is valued globally,” he said.
He urged miners to adopt proper packaging, accurate labelling, and product certification to enhance credibility and command premium prices internationally.
Other speakers from the Bank of Industry (BOI), Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), and the Ogun State Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, identified access to finance, collaboration, and accurate data as essential to deepening value addition in the sector.
A participant, Mr Moshood Balogun,Chairman, Miners Association of Nigeria, Ogun Chapter, commended NEPC for organising the programme, describing it as timely and enlightening.
“This training has shown us that the real value lies in processing and not just mining. We now understand how value addition, packaging can boost our earnings,” he said.
