Australia to Establish Gold Processing Centre in Nigeria

The Australian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Ms. Clarie Ireland, has disclosed that Australia would help Nigeria to establish a gold processing centre that would end the export of raw gold out of the country. Ireland made this statement when the National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mrs. Saratu Iya Aliyu, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the high commissioner at the Australian High Commission in Abuja recently. Ireland said the high commission is working on a five-year engagement programme with the Nigerian private sector that would provide technical assistance, investments and equipment in the area of services for the mining sector. Aliyu used the courtesy visit to call for a deeper relationship between the Nigerian and the Australian private sectors to facilitate the development of the Nigerian mining and agricultural sectors. The NACCIMA’s president acknowledged that the chamber had had a good relationship with the high commission, which dated back to August 2018 when the high commission's involvement ensured the success of NACCIMA’s Mining Road Show in Melbourne and Perth that showcased the potential of the Nigerian mining sector and exposed Nigerian miners to Australian mining investors. Aliyu pointed out that increased collaboration between the countries’ private sectors is one of her important focus as the president of NACCIMA, and informed the Australian high commissioner that contacts that were made during the Melbourne and Perth mining roadshows have started yielding results for NACCIMA members. “NACCIMA sees the Nigerian mining sector as an area that can contribute significantly in rebooting the Nigerian economy and assist in the country’s quest for economic diversification,” Aliyu said. She said NACCIMA's commitment to deepening its engagement with the Australian private sector would be boosted by the Director General of NACCIMA, Mr. Ayoola Olukanni’s deep knowledge of the Australian economy, which he gained when he was Nigeria’s high commissioner in Australia. Members of the NACCIMA’s delegation to the Australian high commission included the Representative of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr. Auwal Ibrahim Bununu, and the Director of the NACCIMA Abuja Office, Mr. Usman Abass.