The House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, United States, has honoured Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, for his contributions to governance, public service, and reforms in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Segun Tomori, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the recognition was conferred during the African Leadership Public Service Excellence Awards, organised by Africa Leadership Magazine at the Proshansky Auditorium, City University of New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Presenting the award, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Dr Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, praised Dr Alake’s transformational leadership in repositioning Nigeria’s mining industry for global competitiveness.
According to the statement, the organisers announced that the South Carolina legislature had also passed a formal motion of recognition, signed by Speaker G. Murrel-Smith Jr. and Clerk Charles Reid, acknowledging Dr Alake’s distinguished record as a journalist, strategist, and public administrator.
“We, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, commend you on your contributions to Nigerian politics and wish you success in all your future endeavours,” the statement read.
The commendation formed part of a citation presented by former Republican State Senator from New York, Hon. Aaron T. Manaigo, who chronicled Dr Alake’s four-decade journey across journalism, politics, and public administration.
“Dr Alake began his professional journey as a writer and columnist before serving as Adviser on Information to the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. He later worked with the pro-democracy movements that gave birth to Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and served as Special Adviser on Information to then-Governor Bola Tinubu, now the President of Nigeria. Today, as Minister, he has redefined leadership in the solid minerals sector,” Manaigo said.
Receiving the award, Dr Alake thanked the organisers and the South Carolina legislature for the recognition, promising not to lower the standards of governance and accountability that earned him the honour.
“This recognition further strengthens our resolve to continue transforming Nigeria’s solid minerals sector through transparency, innovation, and value addition,” he said.
He outlined the Ministry’s ongoing reforms, including the creation of the mining marshals and the deployment of satellite monitoring systems to curb illegal mining, the revocation of dormant licences, and the digitisation of mining operations to ensure openness and investor confidence.
Dr Alake also restated the Nigerian government’s policy on local value addition, which discourages the export of raw minerals and prioritises local processing to enhance job creation, technology transfer, and industrial growth.
He noted that his advocacy for this policy at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh in January 2024 led to the establishment of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), where he now serves as the pioneer chairman.
“Africa must take charge of its resources by ensuring minerals are processed locally to create wealth, jobs, and sustainable growth,” Alake declared, urging global investors to channel capital into Africa’s mining value chains.