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The Federal Government is ready to make geophysical data
available electronically to attract both local and foreign
investors towards the development of the nation’s mining
industry.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Musa
Mohammed Sada made the disclosure while receiving the final
report from the Ministerial Committee on the Dissemination
of Nigeria’s Geophysical Data.
Arc. Sada said that he inaugurated the committee on August
23,2011to address the challenge of investor’s
inaccessibility to the geophysical data electronically. In
the words of the minister:”The committee was inaugurated to
satisfy the yearnings of investors”.
The Minister thanked the committee for the timely submission
of the final report and assured that its recommendations
would be looked into immediately for implementation towards
the development of the mining industry in Nigeria.
He noted that once the geophysical data is made available
electronically, both local and foreign investors do not have
to travel down to offices in the ministry and its agencies
to get such investment information before they decide on
what to do.
Arc. Sada added that once that becomes operational a lot of
spiral activities that would facilitate the development of
the mining sector would spring up.
The Minister disclosed that the Nigeria Geological Survey
Agency and Messrs Fugro Nigeria Limited, the company that
handled the generation and dissemination of the airborne
geophysical data would still collaborate in creating the new
web portal for the geophysical data.
While submitting the final report, the Chairman of the
Ministerial Committee on Dissemination of Airborne
Geophysical Data, Alh. Idris A. Kuta, the Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development,
said that their committee was specifically set up to look
into the quantum of airborne geophysical data at the
disposal of the Ministry, assess its level of dissemination
and advise on the desirability of creating a geoportal
outside the shores of Nigeria among other things.
Alh. Kuta said that the Ministry would find the report as a
worthwhile guide in its quest for developing a policy
framework for the effective and efficient dissemination of
Nigeria’s airborne geophysical and other geoscientific data
for the development of the mining industry.
Some of the recommendations of the committee are: the
capacity of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency to
disseminate airborne geophysical and other geosciences data
in its custody electronically through geospatial facilities
should be improved upon, channel for dissemination of the
geoscientific data should be diversified through outsourcing
to internationally recognized bodies with excellent track
records of expertise, capacity and experience, a new price
regime for sale of available geoscientific data be worked
out to place Nigeria in a better competitive position in
order to attract more patronage from investors. |
