Sector focus
Mining & Solid Minerals
Mineral titles, Community Development Agreements, joint ventures and offtake for exploration and mining projects in Nigeria.
Nigeria's solid minerals sector is governed by the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations 2011, administered by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD) and the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office. Title, community and environmental obligations are now enforced more actively, and investors expect them to be settled before they commit capital.
We advise titleholders, investors and project sponsors across the life of a mining project: from title diligence and applications through community agreements, joint ventures, offtake and financing.
What we advise on
- Title diligence.Review of exploration licences, small-scale mining leases, mining leases and quarry leases, including chain of title, conditions, fees, work programme obligations and pending Mining Cadastre Office applications.
- Applications, transfers and renewals.Preparing and following up filings with the Mining Cadastre Office, including transfers of mineral titles and consents required for changes in control.
- Community Development Agreements.Negotiating and drafting CDAs with host communities as required by section 116 of the Act and regulation 193 of the Regulations, in line with the Ministry's 2023 Guidelines for the Production of Community Development Agreements, and preparing them for approval by the Mines Environmental Compliance Department.
- Land and surface rights.Compensation to landowners and occupiers, surface rent, and alignment between mineral titles and statutory or customary land rights.
- Joint ventures and investment.Joint ventures, farm-ins, shareholder agreements, offtake and project investment agreements, including value-addition and local processing commitments.
- Acquisitions and disposals.Share and asset acquisitions of mining companies and titles, with regulatory consents built into the timetable.
- Environmental and compliance.Coordination of environmental impact assessment and reclamation obligations with technical consultants, and compliance reviews for existing operations.
- Disputes.Title, community, joint venture and offtake disputes, including referrals to the Minister and proceedings in the Federal High Court.
Who we act for
- International mining companies and investors assessing or entering Nigerian projects
- Nigerian titleholders seeking partners, financing or a sale
- Offtakers, traders and processors
- Lenders and funds conducting diligence on mining assets
We work from Abuja, close to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Mining Cadastre Office, and alongside geologists, surveyors and environmental consultants appointed by our clients. Engagements are scoped in writing with fixed or capped fees.