Enaholo Ojiefoh, the Edo State Commissioner for Mining and Energy, said that the state has enough solid mineral deposits to sustain more than 20 mega plants.

He revealed this during a live chat with his counterpart, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, the Minister of Digital Economy, Science and Technology, he noted that the state had enormous deposits of limestone, dolomite, gold, kaolin, feldspar, clay, gemstone, and quartz.

Ojiefoh said, the state is determined to exploit the minerals.

He stated, “BUA has been mining in a particular spot for over 10 years. Freedom Group has been mining on their site for over 30 years. They are over 50 years old.

“The hills you see when going through Okpella are all minerals. The same applies to Akoko Edo. There is a huge deposit of dolomite, limestone, and many others across the state.”

Ojiefoh stressed that the state government was looking at expanding the number of ceramics companies in the state to increase productivity and create more jobs.

He said the move would improve the state’s revenue and allow for skill development as the companies would have to train more people to fill vacancies.

“We are ready for investment in Edo. We do not just want to identify the minerals; we want to use them to drive industrialisation and that is the mandate we have from the governor,” he stated.