The President of the Gold Miners Processors, Producer Association, (GMPPA), Mr Auwal Bununu, has said that mining activities would create job opportunities and generate revenue, if effectively implemented.
Bununu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that the sector would motivate industrial growth as a local source of raw materials and enhance the quality of lives in rural communities.
According to him, the sector, if effectively implemented, will reduce poverty, increase youth employment, provide infrastructure, healthcare, food security, environmental management and climate change.
“We need the resources to address all these problems, as the government needs to develop mining industries, to be able to achieve economic development.
“Through their direct operations, mining companies can generate profits, employment and economic growth.
“Partnering with government and civil society is to ensure that benefits of mining extend beyond the life of the mine itself.
“The mining industry has a positive impact on the natural environment, climate change, and social capital,’’ he said.
Bununu said the association was evolving private sector partnership for mineral and metal development, adding that the effort would generate revenue, attract investment as well as promote trading in the country.
He said that the association had reached out to almost all the mining countries to achieve its goals.
Bununu said that the association had also gathered all the mining operators to one umbrella, adding that the essence was to transform and diversify the country`s economies.
“Mining-dependent countries need to transform and diversify their economies, achieve higher living standards and reduce poverty and manage expectations of an increasingly informed population.
“That is what we are trying to ensure that we achieve the objectives. We want to make sure we leave a decent legacy to future generations,” he said.
The mining association boss called on private sectors to intensively participate on the mining activities and ensure they collaborate strongly with the government for a thriving industry.
