ACCI tasks mining cadastre office on seamless licensing
By Matthew Eloyi
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has called on the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) to make the process of acquiring mining licenses open and seamless to ACCI members.
The chamber said that making the licensing process seamless for potential miners in the country would spur economic activities in the sector.
Dr. Johnson Anene, the Vice President, Mines, ACCI, made the call in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the ongoing 16th Abuja International Trade Fair.
Anene decried the cumbersome nature of obtaining a mining license, adding that though the process of obtaining a license had not been easy the coming onboard the new MCO D-G was a relief.
In his words, “The process of getting a license for miners is cumbersome but the advent of online processing of the application has made it easier for people to apply.
“If the office can liberalize licensing of mining operations it will reduce illegal mining because they resort to illegal mining activities out of frustration.
“But if they know that they can apply and genuinely get a license if qualified, the illegal mining will stop.”
According to him, the office needs to also make the process and conditions attached to the license very open and seamless to enable them to know the requirement of acquiring the license.
He advised that licenses being hoarded or had been of no use or given to inactive miners should be withdrawn from the miners, while it should focus on giving licenses to active people for economic growth.
ACCI tasks mining cadastre office on seamless licensing