Artisanal Miners Get
World Bank Grant
As
part of measures to encourage artisanal and small scale mining
in Nigeria, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has
disbursed N222.6 million as grants to 41 miners.
The grant is part of a
10-million-dollar World Bank assisted scheme for Sustainable
Management of Mineral Resources Projects.
The National Coordinator
of the project, Dr. Linus Adie, said in Abuja that 10 of
the beneficiaries received N53 million while 31
other miners received more than N169.5 million.
Adie said more miners
had been grouped into two batches to benefit from the scheme
before the end of this year.
Fund is meant for
equipment
The grant will be
deployed to execute 30 mining projects in 11
communities. Among the projects are Granite, Kaolin and Gypsum
production as well as River Sand Quarry.
’’The fund will
enable the beneficiaries to purchase processing machines,
compressors and crushers among others, to aid their
operations,’’ Adie said.
Assessment level okay
He also said that an
effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the projects
had been put in place, saying that a recent assessment programme
rated the first batch of beneficiaries as having achieved 70
per cent performance level.
Adie said that with the disbursement of the funds in July and
December 2009, the ministry had spent 1.4 million dollars out of
the 10-million-dollar World Bank grant.
NAN/Yinka
