Nigeria is a country blessed with various resources ranging from population,Guest Posting fertile land, forest, rivers, iron ore, uranium, coal, barites, limestone, crude oil, lead-zinc, gold, etc. However, the country has about 44 solid mineral commodities that can be found in about 450 locations nationwide. Seven of these minerals are considered strategic minerals by the Nigerian Ministry of Mines and Steel for accelerated development. These are Gold, Coal, Barytes, Tantalite, Iron ore, Bitumen, and Lead/Zinc. Currently, the Nigerian government relies immoderately on crude oil, and this has resulted in very little concentration of government in mining activities and it contributes to slowing the sector’s growth. The contribution of the mining sector as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria is only 0.33 percent. This shows sluggish improvement in the sector, as the domestic mining industry is underdeveloped, leading Nigeria to import some of the mineral commodities that it could produce within the country.
In the North-western part of Nigeria, there are abundant mineral resources such as Butyles, Kaolin, Marble and Salt, Gassiterite, Copper, Gemstone, Tantalite, Glass-Sand, Lead/Zinc, Pyrochinre, Tourmaline, Tentalime, Topaz, Graphite, Flosper, Asbestos, Amethyst, Kyanite, Aqua Marine, Superntinite, Mica, Rock Crystal, Sihnite, Sapphire, Ruby, Coal, Gypsum, Laterite, Limestone, Phosphate, Flakes, Clay, Potash, and Gold. But most of such resources are left unexploited and negligence occurs throughout the mining sector where the government and individuals are more concerned about revenue from the oil and gas sector. In a country like Zambia, Mining accounts for 12% of the country´s GDP and more than 70% of total export value. The sector is also a significant source of government revenue and formal employment, both directly and indirectly due to the massive investment made by the Zambian government and private sector.