Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — Mining Ministers under the auspices of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG, at their sixth inter-ministerial meeting, praised Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake for his exemplary leadership qualities in piloting the affairs of the group and resolved to adopt the new Pan-African Resources Reporting Code, PARC.
Praising the giant strides of Alake in positioning the AMSG for international recognition and collaboration, the Liberian Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye and representative of South Sudan Minister, Eruaga Jackson commended the minister for marketing the AMSG at various international conferences and drawing global attention to the campaign for value addition.
Both appreciated Alake for bringing his expertise in communication and international diplomacy to boost the traction that has enabled international agencies to recognize and partner with the organization.
Welcoming participants, Alake appreciated the commendation, remarking that the success achieved so far was the collective effort of all members.
Encouraging more African mining countries to join the AMSG, he announced that the procedures for full ratification of the group’s charter by the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been completed for President Bola Tinubu to formally sign the charter.
Alake also briefed the conference on the development of the African Mineral and Energy Resources Classification and Management Sysytem, AMREC, by the African Minerals Development Centre, AMDC, in collaboration with the Pan-African Resources reporting Code, PARC.
He said: “A critical challenge facing Africa’s mineral development agenda is the absence of a harmonized and transparent mineral resource reporting framework across the continent. This inconsistency undermines investor confidence, hinders comparative valuation of assets, and limits access to development financing.”
He urged the ministers to adopt the AMREC-PARC reporting code for all government –funded or state-led exploration programmes and private sector exploration projects.
Explaining the advantages of the code, Alake said it would establish a common reporting language, enhance credibility of exploration results, align African resource reporting with global best practices, and provide investor-grade foundation for project development.
Endorsing the proposal, the Gambian Minister of Petroleum, Energy & Mines, Nani Juwara and Deputy Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources of Somalia, Abdiwahab Abdi Omar appreciated the efforts of the African Union to elevate the mining reporting system by developing the framework. The ministers adopted the code and agreed to facilitate its implementation in their countries.
Presenting the annual budget earlier, the general secretary, Moses Engadu announced plans to hold sideline sessions at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, the African Minerals Summit in Kenya and attend the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
