BENIN CITY – Ease of doing business reforms and a receptive business climate by Governor Godwin Obaseki in Edo State, has resulted in huge activity in the solid minerals sector, with dominance of granite aggregates and limestone production in Edo State last year.
In a report entitled State Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data (2017) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), granite aggregates production in Edo State in the year under review stood at 578,064 tons, while limestone production capped at 386,233 tons.
Granite aggregates are used for drainage, sub-base under concrete, under decks, sheds, and pools, as base and joint material, while limestone is used in cement production.
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has led far-reaching reforms to ease doing business in the state with the signing of the private property protection law, easing up access to Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O), and setting up an investment bureau to unlock business opportunities in the state, amongst other initiatives.
The report showed that clay production in 2017 stood at 61,200 tons; dolomite, 18,871 tons; feldspar, 1000 tons; granite dust, 68,586.08 tons; Kaolin, 4525 tons; laterite, 27,008.50 tons; marble, 3,245.07 tons and sand 47,604 tons.
In all, a total of 1,196,337.19 tons of solid minerals was produced in the state, which is traced to the operations of cement, glass and ceramics companies, and quarries.
Edo’s dolomite production, which stands at 18,871 tons, is highest in the country in the year under review. Dolomite, which is used in the production of glass and ceramics, is found in Ikpeshi and Akoko in the state.
Some of the companies in the state that contribute to the impressive showing by Edo State in the report are cement companies, Time Ceramics Nigeria Limited, Rongsheng Glass Factory, among others.
