Nigeria to provide facilities to entrepreneurs: Minister

Visakhapatnam, Oct 19 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Mines T Subbarami Reddy today said the Nigerian government would provide infrastructure facilities to the entrepreneurs in their country for the exploration of mining and setting up of industries in coal-mining, gold, iron-ore and chrome-ore, among others.

Talking to newspersons here today, he said NALCO was interested in setting up an aluminium plant with a capacity of 0.5 million tonnes in South Africa. The South African government promised to extend all possible assistance to their counterparts in India.

Mr Subbarami said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his recent visit to Nigeria and South Africa for the India-Brazil-South Africa Summit, had discussions with his counterparts and both the countries extended their cooperation in mining operations and exchange programmes.

The Minister said the South African Chamber of Mines was interested in making investments in India and agreed to share various aspects on prevention of environmental pollution and forest restoration in their mining sites.

He said South Africa was inclined to set up a joint technical working group comprising experts to identify projects and report to the respective governments India was eager to avail South Africa's latest mining technology, Mr Reddy said.

UNI