Zamfara governor seeks World Bank partnership in solid minerals exploration
The Zamfara State Government is seeking to partner with the World Bank on the exploration of solid minerals in the state.
The state governor, Dauda Lawal, while speaking during a dinner with World Bank’s president, Ajay Banga, at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Friday, said the exploration would be for the benefit of the state and the country at large.
The dinner was also attended by the governors of Anambra, Borno, Edo, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa and Oyo states.
The president of the World Bank was in Nigeria as part of a global tour to engage critical stakeholders on deepening development efforts in the country.
Zamfara State has a large concentration of mineral resources including gold, iron ore, granite, limestone, and chromate among others.
The governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, said the World Bank executive was commended for his “client-led approach” and “results-focused interventions”.
“Governor Lawal commended Ajay’s vision for a client-led approach and result-focused interventions. The governor enjoined the bank’s leadership to be more flexible, audacious and help to attract private capital for development.
“He further expressed the willingness of the Zamfara State Government to partner on the exploration of its mineral deposits for the good of its people,” Mr Idris said in a statement.
Mr Banga said World Bank is determined to work differently and ready to embrace collaborations and flexibility in its engagements.
Illegal gold exploration has been ongoing for decades in Zamfara State and security analysts have at different times identified the activities of gold miners and other miners as one of the reasons for the escalation of banditry in the state and beyond.
In 2020, the state government said it was starting a gold reserve to reduce reliance on federal allocations.
