Ministry seeks robust collaboration with its agencies in developing mining sector

Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has called for more robust collaboration between it and its agencies to enhance growth in the mining and steel sector.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Mary Ogbe, made the call when she visited Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), a parastatal under the ministry, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ogbe said that such collaboration would enhance the activities of the sector, thereby boosting the development of the country.

While commending the mutual relationship between the ministry and SMDF, she said that the collaboration would help the agency to achieve its mandate of ensuring the nation’s economic growth.

The permanent secretary called on other mining industries to support the ministry to rectify the myriad of challenges currently facing the sector.

According to her, the ministry will continue to ensure better and sustainable relationship with SMDF and other agencies to actualise their mandates for the overall benefit of the citizenry and investors.

She commended SMDF for its achievements, under its executive secretary, in ensuring that the sector moved forward.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of SMDF, Hajia Umaru Shinkafi, commended the ministry for its support by ensuring that the agency was effectively repositioned.

Shinkafi said that the mandate of SMDF was to enhance both human and physical capacity in the minerals and mining sector, particularly the mining institutions, to enable them perform their statutory functions.