30 June 2009
Lagos — Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has urged businessmen and investors to explore the opportunities in solid minerals development in Nigeria, stating that government was determined to diversify the country's economy.
Speaking, weekend, at a briefing of a group of investors on "Bitumen, New Strategic Investment in Nigeria Mining Sector", organised by the Ministry of Solid Minerals in London, Jonathan said bitumen development in Nigeria was another gold mine waiting to be explored by investors.
He also said that government had reformed the Mining Act of 2007 to remove ambiguity and drive the process to develop the sector.
Jonathan emphasised that the administration of President Umaru Yar'Adua had opened up the economy through several reform programmes .
He listed the programmes to include privatisation, commercialisation, Private/ Public Partnership (PPP) Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) processes, noting that despite the global economic recession, the banking sector in Nigeria was strong enough to support any investments.
He also noted that government was moving away from subsistence farming to mechanised farming and encouraged investors to take advantage of this and invest in the agriculture and agro-allied sectors in the country.
He assured that government had provided better infrastructure, enhanced security and manpower development, saying the crisis in the Niger Delta was not a threat as some militants had accepted the amnesty offered by government .
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