This fact sheet provides a concise, evidence-based overview of the challenges and opportunities in Nigeria’s solid mineral sector, focusing on Ebonyi, Ekiti, and Taraba States. Despite Nigeria’s vast mineral wealth and the push to diversify the economy post-2014 oil crash, the sector remains underdeveloped due to weak regulation, poor revenue collection, lack of enforcement, and the dominance of informal artisanal miners. Field research across the three states revealed widespread policy gaps, environmental degradation, unregulated markets, and ineffective Community Development Agreements (CDAs), particularly harming women and children.

The report offers practical policy recommendations, including regulatory reform, establishment of mineral buying centers, extension services, access to credit for artisanal miners, capacity building for mining communities, and improved environmental oversight. It calls for urgent formalization of artisanal mining, better coordination across government tiers, and public-private partnerships to unlock the sector’s potential as a driver of economic development, employment, and local empowerment.