Nigeria, Feb. 17 -- The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, has said the ministry established 388 mineral buying centres in 2024 to boost government revenue and curb illegal mining activities.

Mr Alake disclosed this on Monday when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Solid Minerals during which he presented a breakdown of the ministry's 2024 budget performance and defended its 2026 budget proposal.

He said that, aside from establishing the mineral buying centres, the ministry also organised training sessions for artisanal miners and integrated them into the formal mining sector.

"We were able to establish about 388 mineral buying centres in the year under review and of course, we train artisanal miners," Mr ...