Nigeria seeks investors to repurpose 4,000 abandoned Plateau mine pits

The Nigerian Federal Government has announced plans to repurpose more than 4,000 abandoned mine pits in Plateau State into productive economic assets. Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake stated that the government is seeking private-sector partnerships to transform these sites into centers for energy generation, tourism, and fisheries.

The initiative follows a fatal incident in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, where the collapse of an unlicensed tin mine pit claimed the lives of seven people. Minister Alake warned artisanal miners against extracting minerals from abandoned pits without proper licenses, noting that the tragedy could have been avoided if the miners had formed a cooperative and obtained the necessary permits to access ministry training.

The abandoned pits were largely created by Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies, including Consolidated Tin Mines Limited and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Limited. The government aims to convert these sites from “potential pits of death” into sources of economic prosperity.