Federal Ministry of Steel Development

The Ministry of Steel Development is a crucial arm of the Nigerian government, established on August 23, 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Its creation reflects a renewed focus on industrialization and the recognition of the steel industry’s critical role in Nigeria’s economic growth and job creation.

Core Mandate and Objectives:

The primary mandate of the Ministry of Steel Development is to foster a vibrant, sustainable, and globally competitive steel industry in Nigeria. This involves:

• Policy Formulation: Developing clear policy frameworks to guide the growth and development of the steel and broader metallurgical industries.
• Promoting Local Production: Encouraging and incentivizing the domestic production of metals for national industrial and infrastructural development, aiming for self-sufficiency in steel production.
• Regulation and Oversight: Regulating the activities of the steel and other metal industries through the issuance of licenses and permits, and ensuring adherence to global best practices regarding factory safety, product quality, process technology, and environmental sustainability.
• Investment Attraction: Creating an enabling environment to attract both local and foreign direct investment into the sector.
• Job Creation: Leveraging the steel industry’s potential to generate significant employment opportunities across various skill levels.
• Infrastructure Support: Advocating for and facilitating easy access to critical infrastructure like power and transportation for the steel industry.
• Research and Development: Promoting innovation, skill acquisition, and new alloy development within the metals sector.
• Supervision of Agencies: Overseeing key parastatals such as Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL), National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA), National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC), and the Metallurgical Training Institute (MTI).

The Ministry aims to transform Nigeria’s mineral and metal sector into an attractive destination for global capital, significantly contributing to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and driving industrial and economic growth. They are actively working on a ten-year sectoral roadmap to guide the industry towards a target production of 10 million tonnes of crude steel and other metallic products annually.