State-owned mining firm seeks exploration investors, promotes technology-driven mineral development and plans expansion into mineral processing
By Yunus Olawale
*KMDC Executive Director, Corporate,Usman Ibrahim Tabari.
Kaduna Mining Development Company has announced plans to accelerate mineral exploration, attract strategic investors and expand value addition in the state’s solid minerals sector, leveraging a reported $500 million agreement with the African Finance Corporation (AFC) as part of its ambition to position Kaduna as Nigeria’s leading mining hub.
The company’s Executive Director of Operations, Osman Ibrahim Tavari, disclosed this during an interview at the Nigeria Mining Week 2026 in Abuja, where he highlighted the state-owned enterprise’s growing portfolio of mineral assets, partnerships with private investors and efforts to deploy modern exploration technologies.
Tavari said Kaduna Mining Development currently holds about 60 mining titles covering lithium, gold, tin and other rare earth minerals, with plans to expand its activities beyond its own assets to include third-party mining licences and areas with proven mineralisation across the state.
According to him, the company is pursuing a broader strategy that goes beyond securing mining titles to establishing the geological data, investment partnerships and processing capacity required to develop commercially viable mining operations.
“Kaduna Mining Development Company is a state-owned enterprise with the core mandate to compete within the mining space in Kaduna State and support the Federal Government’s efforts to grow the sector through collaboration,” Tavari said.
He stressed that credible geological information is essential to attracting serious investors, noting that mining titles alone cannot guarantee commercial success without adequate exploration and evidence of mineral deposits.
Strategic Partnerships Drive Mineral Exploration
Tavari identified collaboration with private-sector companies as a central pillar of the company’s mineral development strategy, citing existing partnerships that have supported exploration and investment in Kaduna State.
He said the company’s collaboration with Anchor Metals had led to the discovery of gold, nickel and other rare earth minerals with an estimated value of about $70 million.
He also disclosed that Kaduna Mining Development Company had signed an agreement with Basco, which is undertaking gold exploration in Birnin Gwari, while Linsim had established a lithium facility with a stated capacity of approximately 4,000 metric tonnes in Kaduna State.
The executive director said these partnerships had strengthened the company’s resolve to attract additional investors capable of advancing exploration, developing mineral resources and establishing commercially sustainable operations.
A major component of this strategy, he added, is the reported $500 million agreement with the African Finance Corporation, which is expected to support the development of the company’s remaining mining titles through different stages of project execution.
Tavari said implementation was expected to commence soon, although he did not provide further details on the financing structure, project-by-project allocations or implementation timeline.
He further disclosed that the company had entered into an agreement involving the Solid Minerals Development Fund and Excalibur to broaden mineral exploration and geological assessment beyond its own portfolio.
The initiative is expected to cover more than 500 additional mining licences in Kaduna State, alongside areas with evidence of mineralisation that are not currently licensed.
According to Tavari, expanding geological knowledge across the state would help identify investment opportunities, improve resource assessment and create a stronger pipeline of projects for prospective mining companies.
Technology to Reduce Exploration Costs
The Kaduna Mining Development Company executive also highlighted the role of modern technology in improving exploration efficiency, reducing costs and shortening the time required to identify potential mineral deposits.
He said the company’s partnerships provide access to experienced geologists and advanced exploration techniques, including remote sensing and satellite imagery.
These technologies enable exploration teams to assess extensive areas of land and identify potential mineral targets before proceeding to more detailed field investigations.
Tavari explained that satellite imagery helps narrow the search area, reducing the resources required for preliminary exploration and allowing companies to focus their efforts on locations with stronger geological prospects.
“Once you have the imagery, the modern technology can show targets of where the minerals are. The next stage is core drilling to ascertain those minerals,” he said.
Core drilling, he noted, is necessary to investigate and confirm mineral occurrences identified through remote sensing, providing additional geological evidence for subsequent exploration and development decisions.
The approach reflects the company’s intention to combine geological expertise, technological innovation and private-sector investment in building a more competitive mining industry in Kaduna State.
From Mineral Extraction to Value Addition
Beyond exploration and mining, Tavari said the company’s long-term ambition is to establish Kaduna as a centre for mineral beneficiation, processing and other value-adding activities.
He explained that the state’s strategy would not be limited to extracting raw minerals but would also seek to develop the capacity to process resources locally and create additional economic opportunities along the mining value chain.
The proposed expansion includes training opportunities for artisanal miners, with the aim of developing practical skills in mineral-related crafts and other value-added activities.
According to him, building local processing capacity and strengthening technical expertise would help Kaduna capture more economic value from its mineral resources rather than relying solely on the extraction and sale of raw materials.
He expressed optimism that the planned initiatives could significantly advance mining development in the state, predicting that Kaduna could emerge as a leading mining destination in Nigeria from 2027.
However, achieving that ambition will depend on the implementation of the proposed investment agreements, the availability of reliable geological data, the development of processing infrastructure and the ability to attract companies with the technical and financial capacity to develop mineral assets.
Nigeria Mining Week Offers New Investment Opportunities
Tavari described Nigeria Mining Week 2026 as an important platform for building relationships, exchanging industry knowledge and identifying potential business partners.
He said Kaduna Mining Development Company was attending the event to engage with mining companies, financial institutions and other stakeholders capable of supporting the development of the state’s mineral resources.
The company is particularly interested in attracting large-scale mining operators that can collaborate with it to undertake geological investigations and prepare the necessary reports for its mining titles.
Tavari also appealed to financial institutions to support viable exploration and mining projects, stressing that access to finance remains important for converting mineral potential into productive commercial operations.
“We are open to partnership because we have other mining titles that are yet to be harnessed,” he said.
He added that collaboration with experienced operators and financiers would help the company develop its assets, improve the quality of geological information available to investors and accelerate the transition from exploration to production.
The executive director also emphasised the importance of learning from the experiences of other mining companies and state mining development agencies, noting that industry engagement could help identify effective practices for developing Kaduna’s mining sector.
Investment Prospects and the Road Ahead
Kaduna State’s strategy, as outlined by Tavari, combines mineral exploration, public-private partnerships, technological innovation and downstream development in an effort to establish a more integrated mining industry.
The reported $500 million AFC agreement, partnerships with exploration and mining companies, and planned expansion into third-party licences could provide a foundation for scaling up activities across the state.
Nevertheless, the commercial impact of these initiatives will ultimately depend on the quality of exploration results, the confirmation of economically recoverable deposits, the mobilisation of investment and the timely execution of proposed projects.
For prospective investors, the company’s message at Nigeria Mining Week 2026 was clear: Kaduna is seeking partners with the expertise, technology and financial capacity to help unlock its mineral resources.
If successfully implemented, the strategy could expand exploration activities, create opportunities for local processing, strengthen technical skills and contribute to the diversification of the state’s economy.
For Kaduna Mining Development Company, the immediate priority is to translate its portfolio of mining titles and partnership agreements into well-characterised, investable projects capable of supporting sustainable growth across Nigeria’s solid minerals value chain.
