Romulus Mining, an indigenous mining company, has announced plans to boost its investments in Nigeria's mining sector from approximately $50 million to $150 million over the next three years. The announcement came as the company was unveiled as the Title Sponsor of the fifth anniversary edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026).
AFNIS 2026 Sponsorship
The summit is scheduled to take place from June 23 to 25, 2026, at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. Organizers stated that the sponsorship, branded as AFNIS 2026 Powered by Romulus Mining, highlights the emergence of indigenous mining companies as strategic drivers of Africa's economic transformation and resource development agenda.
The title sponsorship is also viewed as an endorsement of ongoing reforms in Nigeria's mining sector, championed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake, who serves as Chief Host of AFNIS.
Summit Theme and Objectives
Held under the theme “One Africa. One Resource Vision,” the summit aims to deepen collaboration among governments, investors, industry leaders, and development partners to advance resource sovereignty, local value addition, and cross-border economic integration.
The inclusion of Romulus Mining in the 5th edition of AFNIS signals a strong alignment between the platform's continental resource sovereignty agenda and the company's expanding ambitions across Nigeria's critical minerals and industrial value chains.
Operational Reach
Romulus Mining currently operates across several mineral-rich states in Nigeria, including Osun, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kwara, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Ondo, Ebonyi, and Kogi. Its interests span gold, silver, lithium, graphite, tin, columbite, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, and beryl.
The company's Ifewara gold project in Osun State, located along the highly prospective Ifewara-Zungeru shear zone, has already recorded visible gold occurrences from artisanal workings, with ongoing drilling and geophysical assessments underway.
Lithium Project
Additionally, its Ijero lithium project in Ekiti State aligns with rising international demand for spodumene and battery-related minerals, placing the company within an increasingly strategic segment of the global mining economy.
According to the company, “The scale of Romulus’ ambitions in the sector is very clear with plans to expand Nigerian mining investments from approximately $50 million to $150 million over the next three years.”
Growing Role of Indigenous Capital
One of the significant undercurrents behind the Romulus Mining sponsorship is the growing visibility of African-owned mining capital within the continent’s strategic minerals ecosystem. Historically, large-scale mining investment conversations in Africa have been dominated by multinational corporations.
However, a new generation of African operators is beginning to emerge with broader ambitions, integrating mining with infrastructure, logistics, energy, and industrial development.
As part of the wider Romulus Group, the company sits within a diversified conglomerate spanning energy, telecoms, media, financial services, and industrial sectors. This diversification is crucial for the future competitiveness of Africa’s mining sector, which will likely depend not only on extraction capacity but also on the ability to connect mineral development with infrastructure systems, local processing, energy access, and regional trade corridors.
Investor Sentiment
Stakeholders noted that recent government efforts to formalize mining activities, attract responsible investment, and strengthen value-addition policies are gradually improving investor sentiment in the sector.
Developed and managed by Core International with the support of the Federal Government, AFNIS has become one of Africa’s leading platforms for dialogue on natural resources, energy investment, and sustainable development.
Organizers said the participation of Romulus Mining as title sponsor for the summit’s landmark fifth edition demonstrates increasing confidence in Africa’s critical minerals opportunity and the growing role of indigenous capital in shaping the continent’s mining future.
