The Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) is holding two live information sessions in Abuja, for prospective applicants seeking grants under its Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE), as Nigeria steps up efforts to attract investment into its mining industry.
The sessions, scheduled for Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 21, 2026, are designed to help applicants understand the programme’s eligibility requirements, funding streams and application process, according to the Fund.
The first session, covering Exploration and Critical Minerals, is scheduled for Thursday from 12pm to 1pm. The second, focused on Research and Development, will take place on Friday from 11am to 12pm.
The SMDF said the interactive sessions will be hosted by the EMERGE team, allowing prospective applicants to ask questions and clarify requirements before submitting their applications.
Applications are currently open under the 2026 grant cycle. The official EMERGE portal lists three funding streams: Exploration, Critical Minerals, and Research and Development.
The Exploration stream supports grassroots and early-stage activities including geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, drilling and assaying. The Critical Minerals stream targets exploration of strategically important minerals and innovative processing technologies, while the Research and Development stream supports applied geoscience and mineral-processing research.
The programme is open to qualifying early-stage exploration companies, Nigerian universities and research institutions, and Master’s and PhD researchers at Nigerian institutions. Requirements vary by applicant category and funding stream.
EMERGE was launched in June 2026 to address a key constraint in Nigeria’s mining industry: the shortage of capital, technical capacity and reliable geological information needed to move promising mineral projects beyond early exploration.
The SMDF describes the programme as a mechanism for helping projects progress from early-stage development towards investment readiness. Its official platform says the initiative combines catalytic grants with technical support and research funding.
The intervention comes as the government seeks to increase the contribution of solid minerals to economic growth, strengthen domestic mineral value chains and attract private investment into a sector that remains relatively small compared with oil and gas.
For prospective beneficiaries, the live sessions provide an opportunity to obtain clarification directly from the programme team before completing applications.
Interested applicants can access the official EMERGE platform for eligibility information and applications.
