The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the National Identity Management Commission are partnering to promote digital identity in strengthening governance, enhancing security and accelerating reforms in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
Speaking while receiving the Director-General and management of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja, Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake described the Commission as pivotal in Nigeria’s development architecture.
According to Alake, effective governance is impossible without a credible identity management system, stressing that technology and reliable data have become indispensable tools for planning, regulation, investment and national security.
He noted that the ongoing reforms in the solid minerals sector require robust collaboration with institutions such as NIMC to strengthen transparency and accountability across the mining value chain.
The minister identified technology, statistics, data gathering and digital identity as critical enablers for evidence-based policy making, improved regulatory oversight, efficient licensing, investment promotion and national development.
Earlier, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, highlighted several opportunities for collaboration between both institutions, noting that the newly enacted NIMC Act had positioned Nigeria to fully embrace a digital governance ecosystem.
She explained that deeper integration of identity management into the solid minerals sector would facilitate database integration across government institutions, enhance regulatory compliance, strengthen security and law enforcement, improve monitoring of operators, and provide stronger support for the implementation of Community Development Agreements (CDAs) in mining host communities.