The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has said Nigeria will collaborate with South Africa to develop its solid mineral and mining sector. Adegbite stated this at the ministerial session at the ongoing 9th Session of Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) which kicked off in Pretoria, South Africa yesterday.

A statement by the Ministry said the meeting was timely and mutually beneficial as it provided opportunity for the two countries to discuss cooperation on different sectors, particularly the Mines and Steel Sector. “South Africa just discovered crude oil and they need our experience in terms of petroleum exploration especially offshore while they are very advanced in mining and we are learning from them to avoid pitfalls that they had.

We need to understand the steps they are taking especially in terms of environmental degradation, how mining can be properly done without salvaging the environment, it is really a symbiotic relationship,” he said. The Ministerial Session which was co-chaired by the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor and the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, received, analyzed and adopted the submission of the outcome of the meeting of senior officials from both countries.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the Republic of South Africa in October, 1999 established a Bi-National Commission (BNC) called Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (NSABNC) as a mechanism for a sustaining bi-lateral High-level dialogue to promote and increase cooperation in diplomatic, economic, security and other areas of mutual interest.

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