Adegbite assures completion, competitiveness of barite plant in Cross River

 

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By Gabriel Ewepu

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc Olamilekan Adegbite, weekend, assured completion and competitiveness of Barite Cluster Processing Plant in Ugaga, Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Olamilekan stated this while on an inspection tour of the ongoing construction of the plant, where he explained why the Buhari-led administration is keen about the plant.

According to him, after completion of the factory and when it has become operational it would significantly boost the contribution of the sector to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, as it will be a beehive of activities at the facility.

He acknowledged that Ugaga is a place with abundant deposit of barite, hence the establishment of a Barite Cluster Processing Plant.

He said: “The Barite Processing Plant is sited in Ugaga because of abundance of Barite in this location and the need to reduce logistics for the processing, as localisation of industries at the sources of raw materials minimises logistics overload.

“When completed, Barite would be processed in Ugaga and shipped to Port Harcourt selling point where buyers and exporters could buy them.

“Miners of Barite can bring it here to sell to processors or mill their Barite to America Petroleum Institute (API) standard at reasonable cost.”

According to him (Adegbite), however, the plant when completed, would not be run by government, but by experienced and knowledgeable experts who have the wherewithal to run it on behalf of the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, the Minister maintained that the Federal Government establishing mining clusters in the six geopolitical zones is aimed at boosting miners’ productivity, especially, Artisanal and Small Scale Miners, ASM, that would enable them generate wealth and create massive jobs for the teeming youth.

He also added that when all the mining clusters are completed and function, it will serve as a way to jumpstart the economy and cushion effects of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, because they serve as intervention projects in the mining sector of the economy.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, called on Barite miners in the sector to maximize opportunities the processing plant offers them through the huge investment the Federal Government on the plant so miners, processors, exporters, and others on the value chain can have a win-win situation.

Akinlade also said the purpose of the plant is also to enhance and improve productivity in the barite industry, would save the country foreign exchange, and significantly reduce barite importation.