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Nigeria’s Mining Reforms: Unlocking Investment and Growth

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Nigeria

To improve efficiency, Nigeria restructured the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in August 2023, creating two separate entities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –Over the past two years, Nigeria has implemented key policies and reforms to revitalize its mining industry, attract investment and strengthen the sector’s contribution to GDP. Recent government-led initiatives have streamlined licensing processes, removed bottlenecks and simplified market entry for international investors, enhancing production across the country’s 44 solid mineral types. As Africa’s premier mining investment event, African Mining Week (AMW) 2025 will convene Nigerian and African stakeholders with global investors and industry leaders to drive deal-making and accelerate sector growth.

Launch of Mineral Resources Decision Support System 

In May 2024, the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency unveiled the Mineral Resources Decision Support System to provide global investors with easy access to geological and policy data. The platform markets Nigeria’s vast mineral resources and critical infrastructure, assisting investors in making informed decisions about the country’s mining sector. By enhancing data transparency and accessibility, the system aims to streamline investment processes and boost investor confidence in Nigeria’s mining industry.

Restructuring of Ministry 

To improve efficiency, Nigeria restructured the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in August 2023, creating two separate entities. The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development focuses on upstream activities and investment facilitation, while the Ministry of Steel Development oversees the development of steel and metallic resources to drive industrial growth. This restructuring aims to enhance sector-specific governance, attract targeted investments and accelerate the country’s mineral and steel value chain development.

Approval of Nigerian Minerals & Mining Bill 

Approved in April 2023 and currently under public review, the Nigerian Minerals & Mining Bill aims to introduce incentives for foreign investors while strengthening local content requirements. Once enacted, it will become the sector’s primary legal framework, enhancing transparency and investor confidence. The bill is also expected to modernize regulatory oversight, ensuring sustainable resource management and aligning Nigeria’s mining sector with global best practices.

Implementation of Nigeria Mineral Value Chain Regulations 

Implemented in July 2021, the Nigeria Mineral Value Chain Regulations mandates local processing of raw minerals such as gold and lithium, encouraging downstream investment. Following this policy, China’s Avatar Energy Materials Company launched a 4,000-ton-per-annum lithium processing facility in Nasarawa State in May 2024, while Ming Xin Mineral Separation Nig Ltd. is developing a lithium processing plant in Kaduna State to support EV e battery production. These investments mark a significant step toward positioning Nigeria as a key player in the global critical minerals supply chain. Against this backdrop, AMW 2025 will provide a platform for industry leaders to explore Nigeria’s evolving mining landscape and engage with global investors.

African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference (https://apo-opa.co/4iNW2pR) from October 1 -3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Accelerates AI Ambitions, Achieves Certification under NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center Program

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ST Telemedia Global

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2025 – ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), one of the world’s fastest-growing data centre colocation service providers headquartered in Singapore, today announced it is now an NVIDIA colocation partner. Two of its data centre facilities in Southeast Asia (SEA) – STT Singapore 6, and STT Bangkok 1 – have achieved certification in the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center programme. These are the first facilities in STT GDC’s portfolio to achieve this certification.

The NVIDIA DGX platform is purpose-built for enterprise AI, powering AI workloads spanning analytics, training, and inference. It offers advanced compute density, performance and scale with a single, unified system that can power the complete enterprise AI lifecycle. The NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification enables STT GDC to offer our customers access to world-class, state-of-the-art data centre facilities to run their most important AI workloads.

STT GDC is among the first Singapore-headquartered companies to achieve this certification, recognising its continued focus on supporting the global growth ambitions of businesses as they transition from the digital era to the intelligent era. This is driven by accelerated computing, a key driver of AI innovation, and by STT GDC’s ability to support advanced AI capabilities and next-generation infrastructure, such as NVIDIA DGX GB200 systems. STT GDC’s AI-ready data centres are designed to accommodate the thermal demands of such cutting-edge technology, with support for both immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling technologies.

“The DGX-Ready Data Center certification helps ensure that our customers have access to the robust infrastructure and expertise required to deploy and scale high-performance AI workloads. Achieving this certification underscores our commitment to supporting the rapid growth of AI adoption across industries, helping our customers focus on innovation, accelerate their AI initiatives with confidence and achieve a quicker time-to-value for their AI investments,” said Daniel Pointon, Group Chief Technology Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres.

“As organizations embrace AI to enhance customer experiences and drive better business outcomes, robust environments that are optimized for AI infrastructure become critical,” said Tony Paikeday, senior director of AI systems at NVIDIA. “STT GDC’s achievement of the NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Center certification empowers enterprises in Southeast Asia to simplify their AI initiatives with optimized, high-performance infrastructure and facilities that enable the delivery of data-fueled insights sooner.”

AI continues to transform industries globally, driving innovation in everything from predictive analytics to autonomous systems. Worldwide spending on AI is expected to more than double by 2028, reaching US$632 billion[1]. AI has the potential to fundamentally disrupt global markets by innovating new business models and offerings. Strategic investments in AI will be necessary to enable businesses to both unlock competitive advantage and maximise the full potential of AI.

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Tima Networks to Create $100M Fund with African Energy Chamber (AEC)

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African Energy Chamber

MoUs were signed with Tima Networks and Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group

SHANGHAI, China, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) – the voice of the African energy sector – signed two Memoranda of Understanding at the Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai on Thursday. The deals support China-Africa energy ties by facilitating partnerships and technology exchange between Chinese and African companies.

The first deal, signed with B2B technology company Tima Networks, will see the company bring its automated fleet management technology to Africa. Tima Networks is a software company that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to enhance EV efficiency and management, promoting technology-driven transportation. The partnership will work to implement this innovative fleet management technology across Africa, supporting the utilization and adoption of EVs across the continent.

The second deal, signed with Yunan County Chuangxing Industrial Investment Group, was a Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement aimed at facilitating interactions between the Chinese and African energy and chemical industries. Under the terms of the deal, the parties will work together to encourage African firms and projects establish themselves in the Yunfu Yunan Industrial Park. The parties will also establish a platform for technological exchange and resource-sharing between Chinese and African enterprises to support sustainable development.

The Invest in African Energies Forum in Shanghai served as a prelude to the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference, slated for September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town. As the largest event of its kind in Africa, AEW: Invest in African Energies fosters collaboration and investment in Africa. For Chinese companies, the event offers a strategic opportunity to gain insight into African projects while strengthening ties with African firms.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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Access Bank’s Africa Trade Conference Ignites New Era of Intra-Africa Commerce

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Africa Trade Conference

The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 13, 2025/APO Group/ –Access Bank PLC (www.AccessBankPLC.com) successfully hosted the inaugural Africa Trade Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and trade experts to drive solutions for accelerating intra-African trade and unlocking the continent’s economic potential. The conference tackled critical challenges, including limited access to capital, market information gaps, trust deficits between trading partners, and the urgent need for modernised trade infrastructure.

Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, delivered the opening remarks, setting the tone for discussions by highlighting the critical barriers hindering trade across Africa. He emphasised the urgent need for financial sector collaboration to facilitate seamless access to capital and foster a business environment where African enterprises can scale and compete globally.

 

“We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade. In doing so, we must stamp out the narrative that ‘Made in Africa’ is inferior to any product made anywhere else in the world. We must buy Africa, be proud to wear Africa, and invest in Africa because that is what the continent needs to leap forward into the next generation,” Ogbonna stated.

With Africa’s population projected to surge to 2.5 billion by 2050 from 1.2 billion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) stands as the most significant free trade initiative since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. By fostering economic integration, AfCFTA has the potential to reshape trade dynamics across the continent, creating a unified market that enhances industrialisation, boosts employment, and strengthens Africa’s global competitiveness. Recognising this transformative opportunity, H.E. Wamkele K. Mene, Secretary-General of AfCFTA, emphasised the urgency of fully implementing the agreement to unlock its immense benefits.

“The AfCFTA is not just a trade agreement; it is an instrument for Africa’s industrialisation and economic sovereignty. It is a tool that will enable us to break down historic trade barriers and build an Africa that is self-sufficient, competitive, and prosperous. But for this to happen, we must commit to operationalising the agreement fully, ensuring that businesses, particularly SMEs and women-led enterprises, have access to the information, capital, and platforms they need to thrive,” Mene stated.

Also, Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, emphasised the importance of financing mechanisms that support African businesses in their expansion across borders. She reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to championing trade finance solutions and infrastructure investments that will unlock Africa’s trade potential.

“At Afreximbank, we understand that trade finance is the lifeblood of economic development. Without it, businesses cannot scale, industries cannot innovate, and Africa cannot fully realise its trade potential. This is why we have developed instruments such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to facilitate seamless transactions across borders, reducing reliance on foreign currencies and strengthening intra-African trade,” Awani remarked.

We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade

The conference featured an insightful testimonial from Nathalie Louat, Global Director at the IFC/World Bank Group, who pointed out the pivotal role of trade finance in enabling cross-border transactions and supporting financial inclusion. She underscored the long-standing partnership between IFC and Access Bank in fostering Africa’s economic resilience.

Several high-level panel discussions explored strategies to overcome trade barriers and enhance market access through innovative solutions. Experts from leading institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Traydstream, OWP Partners, Fiducia International, and more, examined how infrastructure improvements, digital solutions, and policy harmonisation could drive economic growth and boost intra-African trade.

Dr. Marc Auboin from the World Trade Organization (WTO) shared key insights on how digital transformation is reshaping Africa’s supply chain landscape, creating efficiency and unlocking new global market opportunities. Tanya Dos Santos-Ford from GIBS Business School also led a session on sustainable trade practices, emphasising the need for environmentally responsible economic growth strategies.

The event culminated in an awards ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to intra-African trade and economic transformation. Tradepass Commodities Limited (Ghana), Chemaf International FZE (DR Congo), and Harvest Group of Companies (Zambia) were honoured for their impact on SMEs and women-led trade enterprises. Bulkstream Limited (Kenya) and Electricidade de Moçambique (Mozambique) received awards for advancing intra-African trade, while Tennant Metals South Africa Pty Ltd was recognised as an Emerging Leader in Trade.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was awarded the Climate Finance Leadership Award, while Afreximbank received the Champion of Intra-African Trade Award. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) were celebrated for their roles in economic transformation and infrastructure finance, respectively. The prestigious African Icon Award was presented to IHS Group, Dangote Industries Limited, and MTN Group Limited for their significant contributions to Africa’s economic progress

As the conference ended, Seyi Kumapayi, Executive Director, African Subsidiaries at Access Bank, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to supporting trade finance, fostering regional integration, and championing policies that create an enabling environment for businesses across Africa.

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Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.

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