Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has disclosed that his administration is working towards putting the state’s solid minerals on a global stage for qualitative partnership.

The governor said his government was working on a partnership with Fasken’s Global Mining Group, one of the biggest mining companies in the world, to develop the state’s solid mineral sector and reposition the Pacesetter Mineral Development Company, a limited liability company owned by the state.

The governor had earlier identified solid minerals as a veritable source for increasing the state’s revenue, hence the decision to attract investment into the solid minerals sector and build infrastructure around it.

According to him, the partnership with Fasken is in line with the objective of the state to grow its solid mineral sector and expand the state’s economy through solid mineral development.

Makinde, who led the Oyo State team to a meeting with the leadership of Fasken Group in London recently to initiate the collaboration, assured the group of the government’s unwavering commitment to turn the state into a global hub for mineral development towards economic growth and sustainability.

The Oyo State team said it planned to leverage Fasken’s acknowledged industry contacts, knowledge and competence to develop its solid minerals, boost its economy, widen its revenue base and create employment opportunities for its people.

The delegation said the siting of the International Gemstone Market, which is a partnership between Oyo State government and the federal government, in Adan, Akinyele local government area of the state, underscores the importance of the state in the solid mineral sector.

Speaking on the collaboration, the director-general of the Oyo State Mineral Development Agency, who also doubles as the executive chairman of Pacesetter Mineral Development Company (PMDC), Mr Abiodun Oni, told Fasken Group that, “we want to engage your company, Fasken’s Global Mining Group, in order to tap into your vast knowledge of the sector to leverage the values of your industry’s expertise, mining contacts, access to financing and global reach.