For about two decades, 43-year-old Abubakar Musa's livelihood -- like that of countless other informal miners across Nigeria -- was a precarious gamble. His work teetered on the edge of legality, exposed to market volatility and rife with exploitation. But today, a quiet confidence radiates from him.

by Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- As the early morning sun stretched long shadows across the rocky terrain of a small mining site in Nigeria's central state of Nasarawa, 43-year-old Abubakar Musa, a third-generation artisanal miner, sifted meticulously through the freshly unearthed soil.

For about two decades, Musa's livelihood -- like that of countless other informal miners across Africa's most populous country -- was a precarious gamble. His work teetered on the edge of legality, exposed to market volatility and rife with exploitation.

But today, a quiet confidence radiates from him.

"Things have truly changed," Musa told Xinhua in a recent interview, a glint of hope lighting his eyes. "We now work with dignity, and our future feels secure."

Musa's optimism captures the remarkable transformation sweeping through Nigeria's solid minerals sector, now two years into President Bola Tinubu's administration. Long plagued by illegal operations and the unchecked export of raw materials, the once-overlooked sector is being reimagined as a pillar of economic diversification -- drawing record investment, boosting government revenue, and empowering local communities.

At the heart of this revival is a radical shift in policy: a decisive move toward local value addition. Under Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development rolled out a seven-point roadmap in 2023, aimed at formalizing the sector, curbing illicit practices, and ensuring that Nigeria's vast mineral wealth drives national development.

One cornerstone is the "no raw material export" policy. Any new mining license must include a plan for domestic processing, transforming raw output into higher-value products within Nigeria.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake told the media recently that the shift has already paid off. In 2024 alone, the sector attracted over 800 million U.S. dollars in processing-related investments, fueled by tightened regulations and growing investor confidence.

"Nigeria has not had it this good in the solid minerals sector. We are restoring confidence, building data, enforcing the law, and returning value to Nigerians from their resources," Alake said.

According to Alake, government revenue from the sector has surged, jumping from 6 billion Nigerian nairas (about 3.85 million dollars) to over 38 billion Nigerian nairas (about 24.4 million dollars) in 2024. First-quarter figures for 2025 already indicate strong continued growth.

"The days of exporting raw minerals from pit to port are over," Alake said. "We are now focused on turning our mineral wealth into domestic economic value -- jobs, technology, and manufacturing."

This strategic pivot is perhaps most visible in Nigeria's lithium sector. Alake highlighted two major processing plants -- one near the Kaduna-Niger border and another near Abuja -- as key examples of the new direction. These facilities are designed not just for extraction, but as integrated industrial hubs that add value, drive innovation, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Foreign partners have taken note, particularly Chinese firms, which are increasingly prominent in Nigeria's push toward localized processing. Sinic Engineering Limited, a Chinese company with over five years of experience in Nigeria, is playing a key role in this transformation.

Vice General Manager Wei Guoting told Xinhua that the company provides integrated engineering mining services, including procurement and construction contracts, mine development, open-pit mining, and mineral processing operations -- all while maintaining high-level international standards.

"For instance, we have deployed 3D geological modeling and intelligent exploration technologies to precisely delineate resource reserves and establish a tiered resource evaluation system, enabling scientific targeting of high-grade deposits," Wei said.

Equally important, Wei noted, is the firm's commitment to localization. Sinic has developed a robust training program for local workers, earning the nickname "Sinic Skills Training School" among the local community. To date, the company has trained more than 1,000 Nigerian technical professionals.

Back in Nasarawa, the impact is clear on the ground.

Musa, who once toiled informally with little security or reward, is now part of a formally recognized mining cooperative -- one of over 250 created under the government's formalization drive. These cooperatives have absorbed tens of thousands of miners into the formal economy, providing access to finance, training, and safer working conditions.

"Before, we just sold stones for whatever price we could get," Musa said. "Now, we are part of a larger chain, with training on safer practices and a clearer understanding of the value of what we extract."

As the sun continued its climb over the Nasarawa hills, a renewed sense of hope emerged from the country's rugged mining heartlands and the lives being reshaped within them.