• The new Programme launched by Dr. Henry Dele Alake, the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, will provide grant funding for mineral exploration, processing technology and research, plus structured business support to move projects from grant funding to private investment.
• Applications open 10 July 2026.

Abuja, Nigeria; 10 June 2026. In a move designed to convert Nigeria’s vast mineral endowment into bankable, investment-ready projects, the Federal Government has launched a dedicated grant programme to fund mining exploration and research.

The Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE) was launched on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, at a ceremony at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. The Programme will provide grant funding across three streams: an Exploration Stream for grassroots, early-stage exploration of minerals outside the national critical minerals priority list; a Critical Minerals Stream for minerals on that list, together with the technologies to process and refine them at home; and a Research and Development Stream funding the geoscience and mineral-processing research carried out by Nigeria’s universities, research institutions and individual researchers.

EMERGE is funded and implemented by the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), established under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, with PwC serving as Programme Administration Partner. Applications open on 10 July 2026 and will be assessed on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis.

Speaking at the launch, the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, said:

“EMERGE adds the missing first rung to the ladder of support we have built for this sector. It speaks directly to two of our priorities: generating the reliable data on our priority minerals that sound investment depends on, and driving the value addition and processing that keep more of our minerals’ worth here at home. For the first time, this country is offering dedicated grants not only for exploration, but for the science of turning what we dig into finished, higher-value products. This is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda at work in the solid minerals sector, and our Seven-Point Agenda moving from paper to practice.”

The Executive Secretary / CEO of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajiya Fatima Umaru Shinkafi, said:

“For too long, Nigeria’s mineral wealth has sat in the ground as unrealised potential, its most promising projects unable to attract early funding. EMERGE changes that, funding early-stage exploration, the processing technologies that add value at home, and the research behind them, then helping grantees move from grants to private investment. It is the Fund’s newest step, after the AFC-SMDF Project Development Facility, our landmark alumina refinery and the certified gold supplied to the Central Bank. We are delighted to implement EMERGE under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, with support from PwC.”

Beyond grant funding, EMERGE includes a business support component, the EMERGE Accelerator, in which all awardees under the Exploration and Critical Minerals Streams are automatically enrolled. Modelled on leading startup accelerators, it is a cohort-based programme of intensive, immersive training and hands-on support designed to help grantees graduate from grant funding to private investment. It spans four areas: technical mastery (exploration best practice and internationally recognised resource reporting standards); investment readiness (geological data rooms, deal structuring and investor pitch coaching); business advisory (corporate governance, regulatory compliance and financial statements packaging); and network access (showcases to investors and off-takers, and mentorship from sector veterans).

EMERGE complements the AFC-SMDF Project Development Facility, launched in 2023 by the Fund and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to fast-track priority mining projects and build a pipeline of high-quality assets with measurable economic impact. Successful projects under exploration & critical mineral streams may be considered for follow-on investment from SMDF. The Programme is aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Seven-Point Agenda of the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development.

About SMDF

The Solid Minerals Development Fund is a sovereign fund established by the Government of Nigeria to drive and catalyse private sector-led investment in Nigeria’s mining sector. Its mandate is to unlock financing that promotes the sector’s growth and improves key economic indicators, including job creation and mining’s contribution to GDP, while ensuring sustainable returns to the Fund.