By Joel Ajayi
Director General of the Mining Cadastre Office MCO, Engr. Obadiah Simon Nkom has called for stronger collaboration among ECOWAS member states to drive the growth and development of the mining sector across the region.
He made this call yesterday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by technical experts from ECOWAS countries to the Mining Cadastre Office, the visit aimed to observe the real-time operations of the electronic Mining Cadastre Plus ,eMC+, system.
The delegation included representatives from Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, Benin, The Gambia, Senegal, and ECOWAS officials.
Director General emphasized that the current Nigerian government is strategically positioning the mining sector to contribute significantly to economic transformation.
MCO boss noted that the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, is fully aware and supportive of the visit, underscoring the importance of regional synergy for sustainable development not only in Nigeria or West Africa but across the entire African continent.
While highlighting the evolution of the sector, DG noted that, the establishment of the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office following the enactment of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act in 2007. The system transitioned from rudimentary polygonal mapping to a robust cadastral system.
“The essence of this visit is to promote collaboration among ECOWAS countries”, he said. “Investors looking into West Africa will benefit greatly from a harmonized and transparent system”.
He explained that the Mining Regulations, introduced is providing a solid framework for operations and that the eMC+ web-based platform has significantly improved transparency, efficiency, and revenue generation.
“With this system, applications can be submitted from anywhere in the world. We’ve integrated beneficial ownership data and flagged politically exposed persons. We’re also working closely with financial institutions to strengthen transparency”, he added.
The Director General revealed that revenues have surged since the adoption of the eMC+ system. “What we used to generate annually, we now achieve in a single month”, he stated. “But this is not just about revenue it’s about attracting serious investment and driving regional development”.
He encouraged other ECOWAS countries to embrace similar innovations and expressed the MCO’s willingness to provide guidance and technical support.
In his remarks, the head of the ECOWAS delegation, Mr. Williams Baidoe highlighted that the structure of ECOWAS is built on three key pillars: cooperation, harmonisation, and integration.
He explained that the objective is for member states to first cooperate, then harmonise policies and systems, and ultimately achieve regional integration. “Integration can occur across various dimensions economic, cultural, social, and even within administrative structures like mining Cadastre offices”, he noted.
Mr. Williams thanked the Government of Nigeria for taking a leadership role and affirmed that ECOWAS remains committed to investing in impactful programmes that benefit all member countries.
Also speaking, Mr. Madu Hassan Fika, Chief Geologist at Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum, lauded the EMC+ as a model of digital excellence and transparency in West Africa’s extractive sector.
He said the proposed regional observatory and cadastral system would provide a one-stop shop for the entire region’s mining data and licensing framework.
Other delegates stressed the importance of harmonising operational standards across ECOWAS member states to enhance regional performance and boost investor confidence. They also praised Nigeria’s strides in digitising its mining sector operations.