The Kwara Government has licensed no fewer than 230 mining operators in the state, with 150 of them mining gold and 13 specialised in limestone mining.
The state Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Mrs Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin, disclosed this at a meeting held with investors and operators in her office on Wednesday in Ilorin.
Relying on data last updated in February, the commissioner emphasised the potential of the state as a preferred mining destination for investors.
She assured investors and operators of government support to make good use of the resources abound in the state.
She affirmed that the state was endowed with a lot of natural resources, which she said is evenly spread across the three senatorial districts in the state.
The commissioner described solid minerals development as a gateway to several minerals deposits in the country, promising that government would tap into the opportunity and work together to develop communities where the resources are located.
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Afolabi-Oshatimehin appreciated Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for creating the ministry with a view to diversifying the economy of the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Solid Minerals Development, Dr Abubakar Mohammed, assured that Kwara is a peaceful state that would create enabling environment for businesses to strive.
“The State Government will give every necessary support to your business to strive in order to earn profit and do the needful to the state,” Dr Mohammed said.
The Managing Director, Dimkit Global Concept Limited, Tang Lei, who spoke on behalf of the investors, assured of developing the mining sector and advised the State Government not to sell the resources out of the country, but use it to industrialise the state.
The representative of the Operators, Alhaji Suleiman Mayaki, thanked the state government and promised that the company shall operate within the set standards as a way of enhancing the growth and development of the state economy. (NAN)
