Nigeria has launched the Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment Program (EMERGE), a new initiative aimed at accelerating early-stage mineral exploration, strengthening geological research and advancing local value addition.
The programme is part of moves to unlock Nigeria’s $750 billion worth of untapped mineral deposits under broader efforts to diversify its economy beyond oil.
Nigeria has outlined plans to expand mineral exploration and production, identifying 44 strategic mineral deposits and is seeking developers with the requisite capital and technological expertise to invest.
The government has also sought to increase mining’s contribution to GDP to 10 per cent in 2026. However, unlocking these opportunities will require stronger geological data, greater technical capacity and increased investment in early-stage exploration.
The introduction of the EMERGE initiative aims to address these gaps. The programme is centred around three areas of focus: science-backed exploration, critical minerals development and research and development.
The exploration stream targets early-stage geological insights to generate reliable mineral data, the critical minerals stream targets minerals required for the energy transition, while the research and development stream integrates science and innovation across the value chain.
Driven by the Solid Minerals Development Fund, the programme is designed to position Nigeria as a major player in the global minerals value chain. It also builds on a rising wave of international partnerships aimed at modernising Nigeria’s exploration infrastructure through digitisation and enhanced capacity building.
Nigeria and Turkey formalised a partnership agreement in May 2026, aimed at strengthening cooperation in mining technology, exploration and investment.
Nigeria has also entered geological mapping and exploration cooperation agreements with South Sudan and South Africa, aimed at advancing geological and technical expertise while facilitating greater investment flows across the exploration sector.
Recent mineral ambitions are being backed by global finance. In March 2026, Nigeria secured $1.3 billion from the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to fund its mineral exploration programs as well as the construction of an alumina refinery, advancing its national mineral production and domestic beneficiation strategy.
Also, late last year, the federal government allocated over $600 million for geoscientific exploration and nationwide mapping, highlighting Nigeria’s commitment to de-risk the sector through access to modern geological data and accelerated exploration activities.