Nigeria’s mining sector is not suffering from a lack of policy, but from a failure to enforce what already exists, according to geologist Jamil Mangga.

Speaking on regulatory challenges, Mangga said “the only bottleneck… is nothing other than non-enforcement of those policies.” He noted that while Nigeria has “so many beautifully written policies,” implementation remains weak due to structural gaps within government institutions.

He identified three critical constraints: “manpower, funding of the sector, and technical skill gaps”—all of which limit the government’s ability to regulate effectively.

From his perspective, the solution lies in rethinking the role of government. “Mining… is a sector that has been driven privately,” he said, stressing that “the funds that drive the sector are primarily from private financiers, not the government.”

Mangga urged closer collaboration: “If the government can bring in, invite private sector to the table in terms of fine-tuning those policies, they can come up with something workable.”

Beyond policy, Mangga highlighted a major geographical blind spot in Nigeria’s mining narrative: the Northeast.

Contrary to long-held assumptions that gold deposits follow a northwest–southeast trend, he said “that information is no longer holding so much water.” Instead, field experience shows “so many discoveries coming up from the northeastern part… not captured in literature or publications.”

He pointed to states such as Taraba, Adamawa, Borno and parts of Bauchi as areas with significant untapped potential. “It might puzzle somebody to hear that there is gold in places like Borno,” he said, adding that the region also holds promise for rare earth minerals.

This underdocumentation, he argued, underscores the need for renewed exploration focus. “The northeastern zone needs to be looked into… so much worthy minerals can be tapped from those regions.”

Geological Data: Adequate but Underutilised

On the issue of geological data, Mangga offered a more nuanced assessment. Contrary to common criticism, he believes government has largely fulfilled its role.

“The Nigerian government has done its part in generating baseline geological data,” he said, emphasising that such foundational work is what is expected of the state in a capital-intensive sector.

However, he pointed out a crucial gap: validation. Using the Nigerian Litho-Structural Map as an example, he explained that much of the data was generated through aerial surveys and needs “ground truthing… to validate that information.”

He also called for better data organisation: “The government needs to streamline its data… so that those basic raw data can be fed into machine learning for proper usage.”

Mangga underscored the transformative role of technology in reducing exploration risks and costs. “Technology has brought in so much change,” he said, noting that modern tools have significantly reduced field time and improved targeting accuracy.

He highlighted the shift to “data-led exploration”, which has “dropped the cost… and reduced financial barriers for investors.”

Emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are also accelerating analysis. “You can input raw data and get results within the shortest period of time and at very low cost,” he explained.

He insists data must be better structured and accessible for Nigeria to fully benefit from transformative mining.