Nigeria and Australia are strengthening cooperation on knowledge transfer and professional training as part of efforts to build a skilled workforce and expand commercial opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals industry.
The development followed strategic discussions between a Nigerian delegation attending Africa Down Under (ADU) 2026 and Murdoch University in Western Australia on the next phase of the Nigeria-Australia Resource Industry Collaboration and Capacity Building Programme.
The delegation was led by a representative of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office, Engr. Obadiah Nkom. They held discussions with Professor Dee O’Connor, Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and other university officials.
The talks focused on expanding the programme’s third phase, with particular attention to increased industry exposure, longer practical engagements and specialised training to help Nigerian mining professionals identify and develop commercially viable opportunities.
Since its launch in June 2025, the programme has trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each. The programme combines technical, policy and leadership training with field visits, industry engagements, job shadowing and exposure to Australia’s resources governance and mining systems.
Nkom said developing human capacity was essential to the success of Nigeria’s mining reforms, noting that investments in technology and capital would have limited impact without professionals capable of effectively deploying and managing them.
“Minister Dele Alake’s vision is not simply to attract capital and technology into Nigeria, but to ensure that Nigerians acquire the knowledge and expertise to deploy, manage and ultimately advance those capabilities themselves,” he said.
He said the proposed third cohort would place greater emphasis on industry immersion, internships and job shadowing, live industry case studies and practical training focused on developing investor-ready mining opportunities.
The expanded approach is expected to give participants greater exposure to the commercial and practical aspects of the resources industry, including how technical expertise, policy knowledge and industry experience can be combined to develop viable mining projects.
O’Connor reaffirmed Murdoch University’s commitment to the partnership and said the institution would continue supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said the collaboration would also deepen Nigeria’s relationships with Australian universities, regulators, mining companies and research institutions.
The partnership provides an avenue for international expertise to be transferred into local professional capacity, with the potential to strengthen the ability of Nigerian professionals to develop commercially viable mining projects and support investment across the country’s solid minerals value chain.
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