Conference Agenda

Discussion Points

• What investment-grade datasets (airborne geophysics, drilling, QA/QC aligned to JORC/SAMREC/NI 43-101) most quickly unlock capital in Canada/Australia/South Africa, and how can NGSA mirror them within 12 months?
• Where has AI genuinely improved discovery rates in EU/UK/US projects, and what data hygiene and lab verification must Nigeria enforce before adopting these tools?
• Which features of Geoscience Australia/USGS portals should NGSA copy first so global juniors can evaluate Nigerian targets in days, not months?
• Which licensing steps can Nigeria simplify – as Botswana/Ghana have done – without weakening environmental safeguards?

Discussion Points

• What must be in the Nigerian data room on Day 1 (clean title, verified assays, credible ESG, traceability) for DFIs/royalty/stream providers in US/Canada/UK to commit within 90 days?
• Which capital stacks travel best to Nigeria – blends of DFIs + private equity, streams/royalties, or tokenised instruments – and what risks do they actually remove?
• How do clean titles, visible enforcement and traceability influence global credit committees’ risk ratings today?
• Which offtake signals do Asian and EU buyers require to fund Nigeria’s lithium/gold/alumina projects at pre-FID?
• How can Nigerian pensions and capital markets co-invest alongside global funds in a way that protects savers and attracts FDI?

Discussion Points

• What commissioning strategies from Australia/Finland/Chile should Nigeria adopt for the $600 million lithium plant and the Lagos gold refinery in their first 6 – 12 months?
• How should miners, processors, and global off-takers contract to guarantee feed security and product quality, and which clauses protect all sides?
• Which OPEX benchmarks (energy, reagents, water, waste, logistics) are realistic in Nigeria, and how do they compare with global peers?
• How can OEMs and global operators co-run training to build Nigerian processing talent pipelines quickly?
• What is the staged path from first-product to battery-grade chemicals/value-added gold/aluminium, and what regulatory tweaks are needed?

Discussion Points

• How should Nigeria position with US/EU MSP initiatives and Asian cathode makers, and what must be in offtake term sheets to make deals bankable?
• How can REE projects move from pilot to plant without over-promising scale?
• Which infrastructure, labs and traceability rules would convince global buyers that Nigeria is reliable long-term?

Discussion Points

• What do international buyers (battery, EV, magnet, alloy, and refining companies) need to see before signing offtake or pre-purchase agreements with Nigerian projects?
• How can Nigeria meet the technical specifications, impurity thresholds, and QA/QC requirements demanded by global markets for lithium, REEs and other transition minerals?
• What kind of long-term supply contracts are most common in lithium and REE deals worldwide?
• How can Nigerian projects build credibility with buyers from Asia (battery producers), Europe (EV manufacturers), the US (energy storage), and the Gulf (processing and refineries)?
• What steps can Nigeria take to strengthen its traceability, sustainability certification, and ESG documentation, so that its minerals meet new global compliance frameworks?
• How do we create sustainable partnerships with OEMs, cathode/anode manufacturers, magnet producers, alloy refineries, and downstream processors?
• What role should African regional blocs, bilateral agreements and international standards bodies play in supporting Nigeria’s integration into global supply chains?

Discussion Points

• How can Nigeria formalise artisanal gemstone mining through cooperatives, traceability systems and anti-smuggling measures?
• Which international grading, certification and export standards (GIA/IGI/CIBJO) must Nigerian gemstones meet to access US, EU, Middle East and Asian markets?
• What models from Tanzania (tanzanite) and Zambia (emeralds) can Nigeria follow to build a competitive lapidary and polishing industry?
• How can Nigeria develop domestic gemstone clusters – training lapidaries, equipping cutting centres, supporting women and youth entrepreneurs?
• What investment incentives can attract global gemstone buyers, processors and jewellery manufacturers to source and operate in Nigeria?

Discussion Points

• What regulatory changes would most quickly improve investor confidence in Nigeria’s mining sector?
• How can Nigeria strengthen licensing and permitting predictability, from exploration to production, to match regional and global benchmarks?
• What lessons from Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Ghana can help Nigeria improve contract stability, governance and institutional coordination?
• How can NEITI, MCO and other agencies enhance transparency, data reliability and reporting for global buyers and financiers?
• What frameworks are needed to support beneficiation, refining and responsible ASM formalisation aligned with international sourcing standards?

Discussion Points

• What constitutes “evidence-grade” traceability in 2026 – and how should Nigerian suppliers document RCOI logic, smelter/refiner validation and audit trails for US/EU buyers?
• Which water and tailings practices from global plants should Nigeria undertake from Day 1?
• Which CDA designs from Ghana/Botswana/Peru reduce conflict and speed permitting, and how can communities co-monitor results?
• Which gender-inclusion KPIs are investors actually scoring, and how can Nigerian operators meet them in 12 months?
• When and how should projects secure independent assurance, and how does that move financing and offtake terms?

Discussion Points

• Which IPP/cogen models from India/Australia/Brazil can Nigeria copy, and how should the alumina project’s cogen be scaled as a national template?
• What does the Lobito Corridor teach about rail-port-power integration, governance, and private participation – and how do we apply it to Nigerian corridors? (Lagos-Kano; Abuja-Calabar)
• How will we guarantee rail ballast and construction aggregate quality (standards, testing, certification) for corridor builds without delaying projects?
• What infrastructure, logistics and energy investments are needed to unlock Nigeria’s mining potential and accelerate mining-led industrialisation?
• How should PPPs be structured so DFIs + commercial banks + EPCs can fund long-tenor corridors on bankable terms?

Discussion Points

• Where in Nigeria is exploration most promising, and what data access would convince global juniors to enter now?
• Which LBMA/market expectations must Nigerian mines and refineries meet to sell into US/EU/UAE/India? (LMBA – Precious Metals Authority)
• How can ASM gold be formalised into traceable, premium-eligible supply chains?

Discussion Points

• What do international buyers in Switzerland, the EU, the UAE, and other major gold markets require from suppliers in terms of responsible sourcing, traceability, and compliance?
• How can digital traceability systems integrate artisanal and small-scale miners into formal supply chains without excluding livelihoods?
• What financing, offtake, and market access structures are most effective for small and mid-tier gold producers in West Africa?
• How can Nigeria capture more value through downstream activities such as refining, jewellery fabrication, and certified gold supply chains?
• Which community development and ESG programmes have the greatest impact on strengthening long-term, responsible gold production?

Discussion Points

• How can Nigeria align iron-ore supply, power, and logistics to restart and grow integrated steel?
• Which policy levers reduce raw-ore exports while boosting domestic steel production?
• What did India/Egypt/South Africa do right that Nigeria can adapt immediately?

Discussion Points

• How can ECA, DFI, PPP, and private-sector financing models support the development of integrated steel, industrial mineral, and quarrying projects in Nigeria?
• How should Nigerian steel and industrial mineral producers prepare for evolving international requirements such as the EU CBAM and growing demand for lower-carbon industrial products?
• Which regional trade frameworks, including ECOWAS and AfCFTA, can help unlock new markets and strengthen local manufacturing value chains?
• How can quarrying and aggregate operations support major infrastructure, rail, port, and industrial corridor developments across Nigeria?
• What operational, environmental, and community engagement practices are required to ensure sustainable quarrying and industrial mineral production?
• How can producers improve logistics planning and supply chain coordination to meet the growing demand for aggregates, ballast, steel inputs, and industrial minerals?