Olamilekan Adegbite, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, revealed that the Kano Gold Souk and other projects ongoing in the region would be completed in 2023.
The minister made this remark on Sunday, November 27 while speaking with pressmen in Abuja.
According to him, the project, when completed would see Nigeria join the league of gold manufacturing countries.
He, however, maintained that the federal government had recruited manpower that will make pieces of jewellery and accomodation would be provided within the gold souk.
“In Kano, our gold is being taken out of Nigeria to places like Dubai and others where they turn them into pieces of jewellery.
“You buy them at expensive prices there but when those gold leave Nigeria in their raw form, they pay next to nothing for it.
“So, we said ‘lets have a gold souk in Kano which can rival any souk in the world.’
“They will turn the gold in Nigeria into pieces of jewellery. They can make bangles, straps, earrings necklaces, and pendants.
“People are trained to do this now. So, we are adding value to Nigeria and we are saying that Kano Gold souk can join the world calendar of souks.
“This will enable people to know that at a certain time of the year, we will organise a gold festival in the Kano gold souk so that women and men from all over the world can come to Kano and buy gold.
“That is why we have done all these six regional projects and those projects are at advanced stages of completion.
“We should be commissioning them very soon. We will look at suitable dates to inaugurate these projects early in the New Year,” the minister said.