The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for stakeholders collaboration to reclaim abandoned mining sites in Plateau State, North-Central, Nigeria.
Dr. Alake called for the partnership when the Managing Director, ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance, Mr. Olushola Ajayi paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
This initiative is part of the Geographic Information System (GIS) database project launched by ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance.
The Minister, who was represented by the Director of Human Resources, Dr Ijeoma Idika, emphasised the importance of collaboration between ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance, State officials, and relevant agencies to ensure the project’s success.
While commending ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance as a key partner in the effort to reposition the mining sector, the Minister also expressed confidence in the project’s success and urged the company to consider technical advice from the Ministry.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Ajayi said the project was part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the ministry in 2023.
He disclosed further that Plateau State was the first beneficiary of the reclamation initiative.
Harping on the importance of GIS data critical for providing accurate spatial and environmental information necessary for effective planning and execution of reclamation efforts, Mr. Ajayi noted that there was currently no available one in the area.
He stressed that the data would assist in site identification, environmental assessment, and land-use planning.
He said “The project is in two phases. The first phase involves data collation for the GIS database of abandoned pits.
“This data will help us identify and characterise abandoned mining sites. Without a good understanding of their composition and condition, rehabilitation becomes very difficult,” Mr. Ajayi noted.
He further disclosed that the project would involve professionals working with Intomatics, a Germany-based company specialising in geomatic services.
“The company is using satellite imagery techniques to gather data, which will be compared with on-the-ground realities in Plateau.
“A team of experts, government officials, and local communities will collaborate to ensure accurate data collection,” Mr. Ajayi stated.
He said that the collected information would be presented to the mining cadastre for future reference, towards attracting major investors to the sector.
“The second phase of the project will focus on reclaiming the abandoned mining sites and repurposing them for solar energy generation, establishing Plateau as a hub for renewable energy.”
According to him, the sites could later be considered for agriculture, tourism, or other economic activities based on their suitability.
The Director of Geospatial Data at Intomatics, Andreas Kuhnen, further explained that the GIS data generated in Plateau State would be processed using artificial intelligence programmes.
He said that programmes would extract specific information from the satellite images.
This, he said, would help create a stable workflow for the reclamation process.
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