…plans to expand Nigerian mining investments to $150m in 3 years

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AHEAD of the 5th Anniversary Edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit, AFNIS 2026, a fundamental shift underway across Africa’s mining landscape, as Romulus Mining becomes Title Sponsor of the event.

The AFNIS 2026 Powered by Romulus Mining holding on June 23–25, 2026, at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja with the theme ‘One Africa. One Resource Vision’,  marks more than a sponsorship milestone, one in which indigenous companies are increasingly positioning themselves not only as operators, but as strategic actors executing a “strategic leap” toward the continent’s collective economic development.

The Romulus Group, the company focuses on exploration, sustainable development, and value addition for critical and strategic minerals essential to global industrial supply chains.

Meanwhile, the company’s title sponsorship extends beyond branding visibility instead it reflects increasing confidence in Nigeria’s mining reforms championed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake who also is the Chief Host of AFNIS, and Africa’s critical minerals opportunity, and the strategic relevance of platforms capable of convening policy, finance, and operational stakeholders.

The company’s Ifewara gold project in Osun State, located along the highly prospective Ifewara-Zungeru shear zone, has already recorded visible gold occurrences from artisanal workings, with ongoing drilling and geophysical assessments underway. Simultaneously, its Ijero lithium project in Ekiti State aligns with rising international demand for spodumene and battery-related minerals, placing the company within an increasingly strategic segment of the global mining economy.

Also, the company disclosed its ambitions in the mining sector with plans to expand Nigerian mining investments from approximately $50 million to $150 million over the next three years. 

The drive and optimism of the Romulus Mining sponsorship is the growing visibility of African-owned mining capital within the continent’s strategic minerals ecosystem. Historically, large-scale mining investment conversations in Africa have been dominated by multinational corporations. However, a new generation of African operators is beginning to emerge with broader ambitions; integrating mining with infrastructure, logistics, energy, and industrial development.

Developed and managed by Core International with the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, AFNIS is the continent’s premier multi-sectoral platform dedicated to policy innovation, local value addition, and cross-border resource integration.