KEY POINTS
• ICRC says roads, rail, ports and logistics infrastructure are needed to move Nigeria’s critical minerals from mines to processing and export markets.
• The commission says PPPs can help unlock private capital for infrastructure across the minerals value chain.
• Nigeria’s solid mineral exports reached N354bn in 2025, while the sector attracted more than $2.6bn in foreign direct investment over 30 months.
MAIN STORY
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has called for greater private sector investment in roads, railways, ports and logistics infrastructure to support Nigeria’s growing critical minerals industry.
The ICRC Director General, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, made the call while briefing journalists at the Nigeria US Critical Minerals and Infrastructure Investor Room Meeting held in New York on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ewalefoh said the infrastructure supporting the minerals value chain would be critical to translating the Nigeria US collaboration on solid minerals into commercial value.
He said minerals extracted from mining sites would require efficient transport networks to reach processing facilities and ports, making infrastructure investment an essential part of the opportunity created by the minerals partnership.
“Minerals will not fly to the processing plants. They will not fly to the ports.
“You need good roads, you need railways, you need ports, you need logistics infrastructure in place for these opportunities to achieve their value,” Ewalefoh said.
He said the ICRC’s participation in the investor meeting was aimed at attracting investment beyond mining itself, particularly into infrastructure required across the minerals value chain.
According to him, reforms to relevant laws have also been undertaken to improve the investment environment and provide greater protection for investors.
“There is the need for people to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in roads, rail, ports and the logistics where they will reap their investments.
“It is a value chain. We are only trying to be proactive, and I can tell you that the response has been fantastic,” he said.
Ewalefoh identified the minerals collaboration as one of two major investment milestones, alongside the agreement with DP World for a $7bn investment in the Ogun State Deep Sea Port.
He said the government had also developed a standard agreement template intended to protect investors against political, legal and financial risks.
“One thing that worries investors most is the safety of their investment.
“We have agreement template that guarantees safety, whether it is political, legal or financial risk, the template will mitigate it,” he said.
The ICRC director general attributed increased investor interest to support for infrastructure investment and improved coordination among government agencies.
He said the commission had worked to address the previous situation where government institutions operated independently, adding that greater coordination had helped remove obstacles to investment.
“With that support and enabling law in place, investors need not worry; before now, government agencies acted in silos, but we have been able to bring everybody together under the President’s leadership,” he said.
Ewalefoh said the commission now receives daily investment requests covering aviation, transportation, ports and other sectors, describing the country as open to business.
The investor meeting, led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, brought together government, industry, finance and infrastructure representatives from Nigeria and the United States.
Oduwole said Nigeria’s solid mineral exports reached N354bn in 2025, while the sector attracted more than $2.6bn in foreign direct investment over a 30 month period.
THE ISSUES
- Nigeria’s critical minerals opportunity depends not only on mining activity but also on the infrastructure required to transport minerals from extraction sites to processing facilities and export points.
- The ICRC is seeking to position public private partnerships as a financing route for roads, railways, ports and logistics infrastructure linked to the minerals value chain.
- Investor protection remains a key part of the commission’s pitch, with the ICRC citing legal reforms and a standard agreement template intended to address political, legal and financial risks.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“You need good roads, you need railways, you need ports, you need logistics infrastructure in place for these opportunities to achieve their value,” – Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission
“It is a value chain. We are only trying to be proactive, and I can tell you that the response has been fantastic,” – Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission
WHAT’S NEXT
The ICRC said it would continue to receive and facilitate investment opportunities in infrastructure sectors including aviation, transportation and ports, as private capital is sought to support Nigeria’s infrastructure needs.
BOTTOM LINE
The ICRC is seeking private investment in the infrastructure needed to connect Nigeria’s critical minerals to processing and export markets. The commission says PPPs, legal reforms and stronger coordination among government agencies can help unlock that investment.
