• EFCC and NASRDA sign cooperation deal on space-based surveillance

• Satellite tools to support investigations and asset tracing

• Illegal mining costs Nigeria about $9 billion a year

Nigeria plans to use space-based technology to tighten enforcement against illegal mining and related financial crimes. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) signed a cooperation agreement on January 15 to formalize their collaboration.

Under the deal, NASRDA will provide satellite technologies designed to strengthen the EFCC’s investigative reach and asset-tracking capacity. EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the tools would allow investigators to monitor areas beyond the reach of conventional field operations, a key constraint in tackling illegal mining activities spread across remote locations.

The partnership extends earlier efforts to modernize oversight of Nigeria’s extractive industries. In June 2025, NASRDA began working more closely with the Ministry of Steel Development, after Minister Shuaibu Abubakar Audu called for a shift away from traditional monitoring systems toward more advanced satellite-based solutions. He warned at the time that illegal extraction and unreliable production data continue to undermine the sector’s economic potential and long-term planning.

Authorities estimate that illegal mining costs Nigeria about $9 billion a year, weakening public revenues and complicating regulation across the mining value chain.

For now, the agreement sets out a framework for cooperation rather than an operational rollout. No implementation timetable has been announced. Olukoyede said the EFCC will create a dedicated team to oversee execution of the agreement and conduct regular assessments of its effectiveness.

Isaac K. Kassouwi