OpeOluwani Akintayo
14 June 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Nigerian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with China on solid mineral exploration.
According to Acting Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bwari, the deal was signed with the East China Meteorological Institute.
Explaining the reason behind the deal, Bwari said although Nigeria had in the past signed some MoUs, the country needed more investors and does not have the funds needed for exploration and data in the sector.
He disclosed that last year, the government had advertised for self-funding exploration, but, could not proceed with the plan as it soon found out it was too expensive and time-consuming.