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Nigeria and Murdoch University, Western Australia, have moved to deepen knowledge transfer and professional training to build a stronger workforce for the country’s solid minerals sector.
The move followed strategic talks between a Nigerian delegation to Africa Down Under (ADU) 2026 and the university’s management on the next phase of the Nigeria-Australia Resource Industry Collaboration and Capacity Building Programme.
The delegation, led by the representative of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office, Engr Obadiah Nkom, met with Professor Dee O’Connor, Dean, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and other university officials.
The talks centred on expanding the programme’s third phase, with stronger industry exposure, longer practical engagements and training to equip Nigerian mining professionals to identify and develop commercially viable opportunities.
The programme has trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each since its launch in June 2025.
It combines technical, policy and leadership training with field visits, industry engagements, job shadowing and exposure to Australia’s resources governance and mining ecosystem.
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Nkom said developing human capacity was critical to the success of Nigeria’s mining reforms.
“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,” he said.
According to him, the proposed third cohort would feature stronger industry immersion, internships or job-shadowing, live industry case studies and training aimed at developing investor-ready mining opportunities.
O’Connor reaffirmed Murdoch University’s commitment to the partnership, saying it would continue to support Nigeria’s drive to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.
The ministry said the collaboration would strengthen ties with Australian universities, regulators, industry and research institutions, while translating international expertise into lasting Nigerian capacity.
