From Blessing Luka, Yola
A two- day summit and exhibition with focus on solid minerals and agriculture has ended in Yola, the Adamawa State capital. The Northeast 2025 African Mineral Summit and Exhibition, started on February 25, 2025, at the Lelewal Motels Conference Hall in Jimeta, Yola.
Present were leaders in agricultural and solid mineral businesses from the North Eastern part of Nigeria, as well as the African continent.
Speaking at the summit, an international solid mineral businessman John Pakka, who presented a paper titled, “bridging agriculture and solid mineral value chain development gap”, said that Nigeria’s solid mineral deposits is the largest the whole world.
Pakka, President of the African Mineral Rating and Exchange (AME), has declared that the vast mineral resources in Adamawa State hold the potential to significantly enrich its citizens, independent of government support or salaries. He made this bold statement during the Northeast 2025 African Mineral Summit and Exhibition, held on February 25, 2025, at the Lelewal Motels Conference Hall in Jimeta, Yola.
Pakka pointed out that the summit is to activate an apex productivity psychology, renewed appetite towards massive engagement in agriculture and solid mineral value chain through modern techniques.
He said that the summit is geared towards influencing grassroots economic development policies capable of motivating human capital growth in the North East and Nigeria at large.
“Nigeria has no business importing things like paints, zinc , cement and other things, but because we neglected our solid mineral sector, we are importing what we have abundantly”, he said.
Also speaking at the summit and exhibition, professor Badhir Aliyu, said that due to lack of government and private sectors investment in the solid mineral sector, millions of jobs are wasting away with high revenue not generated.
He said that the summit is strategically aimed at addressing the feeble economic status in Nigeria and Africa.
Mr. Joel Azuma, a representative from Ghana urged African leaders and individuals to invest in the sector, pointing out that solid mineral sector is more financially stable and less expensive to explore than other sectors like oil sector.
He said that the summit will open new opportunities for Nigerians and other African investors to cultivate the habits of investing heavily in the sector.
The summit’s chairman, Professor Bashir Aliyu, highlighted the Northeast’s immense wealth in both agricultural and mineral resources. He stressed the urgent need for public enlightenment to maximize these natural endowments. However, he identified illegal mining as a significant challenge undermining progress.
“Illegal miners, including immigrants who understand the value of these resources, are extracting wealth without licenses or professionalism,” Prof. Aliyu explained. “This unregulated activity deprives the government of revenue, degrades the land, and puts communities at risk. Everyone loses.”
