By Mary Izuaka

 

The federal government and Murdoch University, Western Australia, have agreed to deepen their partnership on mining capacity building, with plans underway for a third phase of the Nigeria–Australia Resource Industry Collaboration and Capacity Building Programme.

The commitment was made on the sidelines of the Africa Down Under (ADU) 2026 conference in Perth, where a Nigerian delegation held strategic talks with the university’s management on expanding the programme to deliver stronger industry exposure for Nigerian mining professionals.

The delegation was led by the Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office, Obadiah Nkom, who represented the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, according to Lara Owoeye-Wise, special assistant on media to the minister.

According to the statement, the delegation met with Dee O’Connor, Dean, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and other representatives of Murdoch University.

Focus

Ms Owoeye-Wise said the engagement focused on consolidating gains from the first two cohorts and designing an expanded third phase.

The new phase, according to the statement, will feature stronger industry exposure, longer practical engagement and a sharper focus on preparing Nigerian mining professionals to identify, develop and present commercially viable opportunities.

“The proposed third cohort would build on the experience of the first two intakes by introducing stronger industry immersion, internships or job-shadowing opportunities, live industry case studies and training that would enable participants to develop investor-ready mining opportunities,” Mr Nkom said.

The Nigeria–Australia programme was launched in June 2025 as a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and Murdoch University.

It has so far trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each. The curriculum combines technical, policy and leadership training with field visits, workshops, industry engagement and exposure to Australia’s resources governance and mining ecosystem.

Mr Nkom said knowledge transfer remains central to the ministry’s reform agenda, noting that sustainable transformation of the sector depends on building human capacity to absorb and apply global best practices.

“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. This partnership with Murdoch University is therefore a critical investment in the people who will drive the next generation of Nigeria’s mining industry,” he said.

Commitment

Ms O’Connor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to the partnership, saying the institution was ready to support Nigeria’s ambition to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.

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“We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Nigeria. Our commitment is to deepen the exchange of knowledge and experience between our institutions and to ensure that the programme continues to respond to the real needs of Nigeria’s mining sector and its people,” she was quoted as saying in the statement.

The ministry said the partnership aligns with its broader objective of building a knowledge-driven mining sector capable of attracting investment, promoting responsible resource development, strengthening local expertise and driving value addition.

For Nigeria, the collaboration also provides a platform for sustained institutional cooperation with Australian universities, regulators, industry and research institutions, ensuring that international expertise is translated into lasting Nigerian capacity.

The proposed third phase, the ministry added, will move beyond conventional professional training towards practical knowledge transfer, industry immersion and the development of a new cadre of Nigerian mining professionals equipped to contribute directly to exploration, project development, investment promotion, ESG compliance and downstream value addition.