Reforming Nigeria’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector: A Path to Sustainable Livelihoods
deposits of Plateau, Bauchi, and Kano, and the gemstone markets of Kaduna, ASM provides livelihoods where farming or other jobs are limited.
However, this lifeline comes with paradoxes. While ASM reduces rural poverty, supports households, and contributes to mineral output, it is also plagued by informality, unsafe practices, environmental degradation, and lost government revenue. Nigeria faces a crucial choice: continue to allow ASM to operate in the shadows, or reform it into a pillar of sustainable livelihoods and responsible mining.
The sector remains underdeveloped despite Nigeria’s mineral wealth across more than 500 locations in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Nigerian Mining Corporation, once a leading producer, declined after the 1970s indigenization policy, and now contributes 4.38 per cent to the overall GDP in the first quarter of 2025, lower than the 5.47 per cent contribution recorded in the same quarter of 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) latest GDP report.[14]
The underperformance stems largely from ASM-related challenges, including informality, weak regulatory oversight, insecurity, smuggling, and under-declaration of exported minerals.
Mine Closure and Land Rehabilitation: A Forgotten Chapter in Sustainability
When conversations on sustainable mining arise, they often focus on responsible extraction, environmental safeguards, and community relations during active operations. Rarely, however, do they touch the crucial, final chapter of mining: “mine closure and land rehabilitation”, a chapter that determines whether the land will become a legacy of prosperity or a scar of neglect.
WHY IT MATTERS
For decades, mining in Nigeria and indeed in much of Africa, such as the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Ghana, etc, has been driven by the excitement of discovery and profit. Unfortunately, once minerals are depleted, many companies pack up, leaving behind degraded landscapes, toxic tailings, and polluted water bodies. Communities are left to deal with the aftermath: infertile soils, unsafe pits, and lost livelihoods. The abandoned tin mines in Jos, Plateau remain a stark reminder of the dangers of ignoring post-mining land use; many have turned into deadly water ponds or barren wastelands, posing environmental and public health risks [1].
In contrast, modern sustainable mining emphasizes not only “how we mine” but “what we leave behind”. Mine closure and land rehabilitation ensure that post-mining landscapes are safe, ecologically functional, and, where possible, economically useful.
Deforestation: A Critical Threat to Sustainable Water Resources
Nigeria, a nation rich in biodiversity, is facing the challenge of water scarcity. A significant, yet often underestimated, contributor to this is deforestation.
Forest ecosystems are integral in sustaining water resources by protecting river catchments, maintaining rainfall patterns, and filtering water naturally. (10) Forests significantly enhance soil moisture retention, minimizing surface runoff, storing considerable volumes of water within their canopy, and facilitating the gradual infiltration and percolation of water into the subsurface (3).
The continuous degradation and clearing of forest reserves in the country disrupts its natural hydrological processes, jeopardizing the sustainability of freshwater resources for millions (8).
Decarbonizing Nigeria’s Mining Sector: Strategies for Achieving Net-Zero Emissions
Mining has historically served as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic development, with notable resource extraction activities ranging from Tin in Jos and Gold in Zamfara to Lithium in Nasarawa. The country’s substantial endowment of mineral resources presents significant economic opportunities; however, these benefits are accompanied by critical environmental challenges. The mining sector contributes considerably to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through the combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation, and unsustainable operational practices.
The Environmental Cost Of Illegal And Unregulated Granite Quarrying In Nigeria
KEY TAKEAWAYS Illegal Granite Quarrying Is Environmentally Devastating: Unauthorized quarrying is responsible for widespread deforestation, air and water pollution, and irreversible land degradation across several Nigerian states. Health and Safety Risks Are Alarming: Unregulated granite extraction releases harmful dust (PM10), contributing to respiratory illnesses like asthma and sinusitis among nearby residents and quarry workers. Communities and Ecosystems Are Under Threat: Case studies from Abeokuta, Abuja, Edo, and Ebonyi reveal how quarrying disrupts ecosystems, reduces water