COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE 22^ND AGM/INTERNATIONAL   CONFERENCE OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERS (NSME) HELD AT THE BANQUET HALL, COMMAND GUEST HOUSE, KADUNA, 10^TH -13^TH OCTOBER, 2023.

At the 22^nd AGM/International Conference of the Society held at the Command Guest House, Kaduna under the chairmanship of their President Engr. Prof. B. S.  Jatau, FNSME, with the theme, ‘Public Private Partnership- A tool for Sustainable Development of Nigeria’s Mining Industry’, the following Communiqué was issued.

A public private partnership (PPP) concession is one that makes the private sector concessionaire responsible for full delivery of the specified production/ infrastructure services in a specified quantity and quality, including operation, maintenance, construction, and rehabilitation of the system. It is in this light that the theme of the conference is most apt and appropriate. 

The Pre-AGM Panel Discussions intensively deliberated on this theme and came up with following recommendations:

• Government should intensify efforts in providing enabling environment to attract investors into the mining sector for PPP agreement especially as it concerns fully explored strategic mineral deposits.
• Government should seek for specialist’s advice and establish legal framework in consonance with global best practices before going into PPP for mining investment workability.
• For PPP to serve as a tool for sustainable development of Nigeria’ s mining, infrastructure and steel industries, government and private investors must ensure due diligence before consummating agreements.
• Government should make deliberate efforts in implementing established roadmaps for fast- tracking the development of minerals industry.
• Government should embrace PPP in its bids for industrial development in order to attract private expertise and or capital investment for mining, infrastructure development and service delivery enhancement. 
• The Ministry of solid minerals development needs as a matter of urgency to resolve the challenge of state interference with the Ministry statutory regulatory functions as to do otherwise will erode the authority of the Minister and also has the tendency of driving away private mining investors
• The Conference observed with pleasure new entry of companies into the mining sector and commends the efforts of the Federal and State governments in providing enabling environment and encourages them to intensify more efforts.

         Signed:

        Engr. Prof. B.S. Jatau – President

        Engr. Tony Ojile – General Secretary