Photo Caption:President Bola Tinubus going through the Gold catcher document with Dele Alake,Solid Minerals Minister
…….Minister presents Gold Bars to Tinubu
Says sector will boost Naira Value
…70+ Kilograms refined for London Bullion Market Gold delivery standard
Nigeria’s foreign reserves increased by Five million dollars recently courtesy of Gold transaction through the newly rejuvenated Solid Minerals Ministry.
This was made known by Dr Dele Alake,Minister for Solid Minerals who used the occasion to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting reforms in the solid minerals sector assuring that the National Gold Purchase programme will increase the country’s reserve and boost the naira’s value.
Presenting the latest gold bar sourced from artisanal and small gold miners and refined by an agency of the Ministry, the Solid Minerals Development Fund, to meet the London Bullion Market Association Good Delivery Standard over the weekend, Alake said the refined gold would be sold to the Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN, to bolster foreign reserves.
Explaining to President Tinubu the significance of the event, Alake said it marked the first commercial transaction under the National Gold Purchase Program (NGPP), the centralised offtake scheme supported by a decentralised aggregation and production network of artisanal and small-scale miners and cooperatives.
His words: “The successful completion of the first commercial transaction clearly demonstrates the
National Gold Purchase Program’s effectiveness. It has increased the nation’s foreign
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake presenting the gold bar document to President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja recently. With them is the Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Mrs Fatimah Shinkafi.
reserves assets and shown that using the Nigerian Naira to purchase a liquid asset traded
in United States Dollars, such as gold, is a viable strategy. This transaction has also
underscored the potential of the National Gold Purchase Program to enhance fiscal and
monetary stability.”
Alake said the first commercial transaction has delivered +US$5 million increase in Nigerian’s foreign reserves assets, 70+ kilograms of gold refined to the London Bullion Market Good Delivery Standard and successful aggregation of locally mined gold thereby injecting about NGN6 billion into the rural economy.
Receiving and displaying a symbolic bar, President Tinubu commended the Ministry for achieving a major milestone in the administration’s drive to diversify the economy.
“This is another concrete step towards the diversification process under the Renewed Hope Agenda” the President said.
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In her presentation, the Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Fatimah Shinkafi said the London Bullion Market Good Delivery Standard is the globally recognised stringent and trusted standard that enables the global trade in gold and silver bars.
President Bola Tinubus,displaying one of the Gold bars presented to him
“Only gold and silver bars that meet our Good Delivery standards are acceptable in the settlement of a Loco London contract – where the bullion traded is physically held in London” she said.
Shinkafi said, through the efforts of the National Gold Purchase Program under the Ministry of Solid
Minerals Development, Nigeria has joined a select group of countries bolstering their gold
reserves by purchasing gold in local currency to foster economic confidence, enhance
currency stability, and create a more attractive environment for foreign investment.
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