FG Unveils EMERGE Grants to Unlock Nigeria's Mining Potential and Drive Economic Growth


 

By Abdulahi Musa 


The Federal Government has launched the Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE) programme to accelerate mineral exploration, research, and value addition in Nigeria's mining sector. The initiative is designed to provide financial support for early-stage exploration projects, geoscience research, and mineral-processing innovations.

Speaking at the unveiling in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the grants would be awarded strictly on merit, emphasizing that personal connections would play no role in the selection process. According to him, applications will be independently assessed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is serving as the programme's administration partner to ensure transparency and accountability.

The programme is funded and implemented by the Solid Minerals Development Fund and is structured to support explorers, researchers, universities, and mining entrepreneurs. Government officials said EMERGE would help bridge the funding gap that has long hindered the development of promising mining projects across the country.

Alake noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government's efforts to diversify the economy, create jobs, attract investment, and increase the contribution of the mining sector to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product. He added that the programme would encourage local processing of minerals rather than the export of raw materials, thereby boosting industrialisation and value addition.

The Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Fatima Shinkafi, described EMERGE as a catalytic funding mechanism that will move promising projects from concept to commercial viability while supporting research institutions in developing innovative solutions for the mining industry. Applications for the grants opened immediately after the launch and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.


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