Nigeria and Murdoch University, Western Australia, are working to expand their mining capacity-building programme, with a proposed third phase expected to place greater emphasis on industry exposure, practical engagement and the development of commercially viable mining opportunities.
The development followed strategic discussions between the Nigerian delegation to Africa Down Under (ADU) 2026 and the management of Murdoch University on the next phase of the Nigeria-Australia Resource Industry Collaboration and Capacity Building Programme.
The delegation, which included the 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 representatives of the university on the sidelines of the conference.
The discussions focused on consolidating the gains of the programme’s first two cohorts and developing an expanded third phase with stronger industry exposure, longer practical engagement and greater emphasis on preparing Nigerian mining professionals to identify, develop and present commercially viable opportunities.
The Nigeria-Australia programme, a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and Murdoch University, has trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each since its launch in June 2025.
The programme combines technical, policy and leadership learning with field visits, industry engagement, job shadowing, workshops and exposure to Australia’s resources governance and mining ecosystem.
Nkom said knowledge transfer was central to Nigeria’s mining reform agenda, stressing that sustainable transformation of the sector required the country to build the human capacity to absorb and apply global best practices.
“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. This partnership with Murdoch University is therefore a critical investment in the people who will drive the next generation of Nigeria’s mining industry,” Nkom said.
He said the proposed third cohort would build on the experience of the first two intakes through stronger industry immersion, internships or job-shadowing opportunities, live industry case studies and training to enable participants to develop investor-ready mining opportunities.
Professor O’Connor reaffirmed Murdoch University’s commitment to the partnership, saying the institution was ready to continue supporting Nigeria’s ambition to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.
“We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Nigeria. Our commitment is to deepen the exchange of knowledge and experience between our institutions and to ensure that the programme continues to respond to the real needs of Nigeria’s mining sector and its people,” she said.
The partnership forms part of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development’s broader objective of building a knowledge-driven mining sector capable of attracting investment, promoting responsible resource development, strengthening local expertise and driving value addition.
The proposed third phase will seek to move beyond conventional professional training towards practical knowledge transfer and industry immersion, with participants expected to contribute to areas including exploration, project development, investment promotion, ESG compliance and downstream value addition.
