Presidential team on gold mining in Nigeria submits framework to Buhari

The Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) management team met President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

The steering committee provided an update on the work done since the committee was inaugurated.

Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah, and Executive Secretary, Solid Mineral Development Fund (SMDF), Fatima Shinkafi, submitted the report.

In a statement, Ogah announced that the committee presented the ‘Responsible Gold Mining Framework and Guidance Document’.

It aims to help PAGMI and companies improve and manage their gold sourcing as well as the Environment, Economic, Social, and Governance (EESG) performance.

Ogah says the plan will ensure a transparent gold supply chain, respect for the environment while combating money laundering, terrorist financing and human rights abuses.

“The toolkit is a document developed as a multi-stakeholder initiative on responsible supply chain management of gold, focusing on risk-based due diligence based on globally accepted standards such as LBMA, OECD, etc.

“This toolkit was developed to guide companies, provide checklists, questionnaires and assist them to report their commitments, due diligence processes, and actions related to responsible gold sourcing”, he said.

In his remark, Buhari affirmed support for the committee’s target of aggregating 3-5 tons of gold over the next 12 months for additional fiscal and economic benefits to Nigeria.

“The Solid Minerals Development Fund should work with all relevant government agencies to identify the support and funding needed to deliver on this aggregation target”, the President directed.