LEADERSHIP Public Service Person of the Year 2026: Dele Henry Alake

For translating an ambitious reform agenda into measurable economic outcomes, including increasing sector revenue by more than 337 per cent within two years, attracting major domestic and foreign investment, championing local beneficiation and industrialisation, strengthening transparency and regulatory discipline, and providing continental leadership in mining, Dele Henry Alake has been awarded the Public Service Person of the Year Award 2026.

When Dele Alake was appointed Minister of Solid Minerals Development in September 2023, eyebrows were raised. His distinguished media career, in which he established himself as one of the finest practitioners of his generation, had led many to believe he was destined for a different role in the Tinubu administration. However, his transformative record in the solid minerals sector has demonstrated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was right to entrust him with the ministry.

Since assuming office, Alake has emerged as a foremost architect of the federal government’s economic diversification agenda, helping to transform a long-neglected sector into an increasingly important driver of investment, revenue, industrialisation and national development.

His tenure has been marked by measurable improvements in the structure, confidence and performance of Nigeria’s solid minerals industry. Through his Seven-Point Agenda for the Transformation of the Solid Minerals Sector for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity, Dr Alake established a coherent framework to address persistent challenges, including weak regulation, speculative mineral titles, inadequate geological data, illegal mining, insecurity, limited investment and the export of minerals without adequate local value addition.

The agenda covers the establishment of a Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, partnerships with multinational mining companies, geological data generation, formalisation of artisanal mining, enhanced mine security, licensing reform, and the establishment of mineral-processing centres.

The strongest evidence of the impact of these reforms is the sector’s revenue performance. Revenue from solid minerals rose from approximately N16 billion in 2023 to N38 billion in 2024 and to more than N70 billion in 2025, representing an increase of over 337 per cent in two years. This growth has been attributed to reforms and regulatory measures implemented under Dr Alake’s stewardship.

This has been accompanied by a significant improvement in investor confidence. The sector attracted more than $800 million in processing investments in 2024 alone, including major lithium-processing projects. More recent industry reports estimate cumulative investment attracted since 2023 at about $3 billion, highlighting the changing perception of Nigeria as a mining investment destination.

One of Dele Alake’s most consequential reforms has been his campaign to end Nigeria’s historical dependence on the export of raw minerals. Under his leadership, the federal government has insisted that mining licences be tied to clear plans for domestic processing and beneficiation.

The policy marks a fundamental shift away from an extractive model in which Nigeria exports low-value raw materials and imports higher-value finished products. The Alake agenda seeks to retain more value within Nigeria through processing, manufacturing, job creation, technology transfer and industrial development. The approach has also resonated across Africa, where value addition has become a central pillar of the continental minerals agenda.

Alake has also moved to sanitise Nigeria’s mining-title administration. Under his leadership, the Ministry has revoked about 4,000 titles for infractions, including failure to meet obligations, non-payment of annual service fees, and dormancy. The exercise enforces the “use it or lose it” principle, eliminates racketeering and speculative ownership, and releases dormant titles to serious investors. The licensing clean-up demonstrates his willingness to confront entrenched interests and restore order and credibility to the sector.

The fight against illegal mining has been central to his reform programme. The creation and deployment of the Mining Marshals established a dedicated enforcement mechanism to protect legitimate mining operations, secure mineral sites and combat illegal exploitation. The initiative has led to the arrest of 671 suspects for illegal mining nationwide, the ongoing prosecution of 397 cases and convictions, including those of foreign nationals. The Mining Marshals have also recovered numerous illegal mining sites.

This security intervention is significant because illegal mining has historically deprived the government of revenue, damaged communities, encouraged criminality and weakened investor confidence.

Another defining achievement has been the renewed emphasis on geological intelligence and mineral data. Recognising that Nigeria cannot attract large-scale investment without credible geological information, the Ministry has advanced the Nigeria Minerals Decision Support System and intensified geological data generation.

In 2026, the launch of the Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE) further strengthened this strategy by supporting exploration, critical minerals’ research, and mineral-processing innovation. The programme is designed to fund both mineral discovery and the science and technology required for domestic mineral processing.

EMERGE also reflects Dr Alake’s commitment to transparent public administration. Its grants are structured around competitive, merit-based processes and independently administered to strengthen transparency and accountability, while supporting the knowledge infrastructure required for a modern mining industry.

His reforms have also strengthened the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) to finance and de-risk commercially viable projects. The Fund has supported major mineral-processing investments, including the proposed 1.5-million-tonne-per-annum alumina refinery, which is the largest single investment commitment in Nigeria’s mining history.

Alake has also strengthened the social contract between mining companies and host communities by enforcing Community Development Agreements (CDAs). Under the reform, mining companies are required to enter into binding agreements with host communities and commit to projects addressing identified local development needs, including infrastructure, education, healthcare, water supply and other social amenities.

By making community development an integral component of mining operations, the policy ensures that communities bearing the environmental and social impacts of mining also derive tangible benefits from the resources extracted from their areas. The CDA framework has consequently become an important instrument for promoting responsible and sustainable mining, reducing tensions between operators and host communities, and ensuring that mineral development translates into visible improvements in the lives of people at the grassroots.

Alake’s influence extends beyond Nigeria. In 2024, African mining ministers unanimously elected him the pioneer Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), a continental platform established to coordinate African interests in minerals and mining. In January 2026, he was re-elected Chairman, reaffirming his counterparts’ confidence.

As AMSG chairman, he has championed a common African position on critical minerals, value addition, beneficiation, and stronger bargaining power in the global minerals market.

Alake’s record of exponential growth in mining revenue, institutional renewal, regulatory discipline, investment mobilisation, security reform, scientific development, local value addition and continental leadership makes him a worthy winner of the Public Service Person of the Year Award 2026.