Yobe Hosts Investors’ Forum to Harness Trona Value Chain
By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu
Yobe State Government, in collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), has organised a one-day investors’ forum aimed at developing the trona value chain.
The Syndicate reports that Yobe State has huge deposit of trona, a mineral resource processed into soda ash, a key ingredient in making glass, paper, detergents, and other products.
It is also used in the production of other chemicals like baking soda and sodium phosphates, and has been historically used as a food preservative, sweetener, and as traditional remedy.
According to a statement by Suleiman Baba Gimba, the Information Officer, Yobe State Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Tourism, and Solid Minerals, the theme of the event was ‘Trona to Triumph: Empowering Industries and Communities’.
In his remarks, Governor Mai Mala Buni, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Tourism, and Solid Minerals, Alhaji Kaigama Umar, said that the forum was to unlock the economic potentials of trona.
He assured of government commitment to fostering local and international investments in the various natural resources in the state to boost job creation and industrial development.
Governor Buni said in its efforts to attract investors, the government has constructed a cargo airport and plans to establish an industrial park, among others.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike Muonso, represented by Mrs. Obi Edith Chibuzor, said they were committed to the development and utilisation of local raw materials for industrial purposes.
He reaffirmed the council’s commitment to research and innovation to boost the manufacturing sector.
The Director-General urged participants to leverage the state’s rich trona deposit, emphasizing its potential to serve as the cornerstone of Yobe’s industrialisation.
In a remark, the state RMRDC coordinator, Malam Sani Musa, said that the forum would promote research and foster collaboration between researchers, government, and the private sector to commercialise raw materials and strengthen the industrial sector.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of key stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and Yobe State Miners Association, among others.
Several papers were presented during the forum, including: ‘Efforts of the Yobe State Government in the Development and Utilisation of Trona’ by the state Deputy Director, Solid Minerals; ‘Investment Incentives in Yobe State’, by Dr. Aliyu Isa Chikaji, Director-General, Yobe State Agency for Public-Private Partnership and Investment Promotion.
Also presented was the paper, ‘Development of Trona in Yobe State for Sustainable Production of Soda Ash’ by Sirajo Musa; ‘Geological Setting and Economic Potential of Trona Deposits in Yusufari District, Northeastern Nigeria’, by Dr. Usman A. Usman of the University of Maiduguri; and ‘Environmental and Geographic Research on Trona Development’, by Mohammed Baba Adamu of the Centre for Environmental and Geographical Research, Yobe State University.
