Nigeria and South Africa have signed a significant mining cooperation agreement aimed at revitalizing Nigeria's underdeveloped mining sector and fostering economic diversification.​

On April 17, 2025, Nigeria's Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, and South Africa's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, formalized the partnership in Abuja. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlines key areas of collaboration, including:​

• Joint geological mapping utilizing drones and advanced remote sensing technologies

• Sharing of geoscientific data on strategic minerals through the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency

• Training on mineral processing, value addition, and elemental fingerprint technology using LA-ICP-MS

• Exploration of agro and energy minerals within Nigeria​

Minister Alake emphasized that this collaboration would facilitate knowledge and technology transfer, investment promotion, capacity building, regional integration, and value addition. He noted that Nigeria, with approximately 23 mineral deposits—including gold, limestone, lithium, iron ore, and zinc—aims to revamp its mining sector, which currently contributes less than 1% to the country's GDP. ​

This agreement builds upon discussions from the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission held in December 2024. During that session, Nigeria expressed its readiness to expand strategic partnerships with South Africa, particularly in infrastructure development and capacity building in the mining sector. A draft MoU was presented for collaboration on the certification of Nigerian mining geologists and other professionals, aiming to enhance their global competitiveness.

The strengthened cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa in the mining sector signifies a mutual commitment to leveraging each other's strengths for sustainable economic growth and development.​