Nigeria’s opaque mining sector has long presented a formidable challenge to transparency and accountability, particularly concerning Nigeria mining data access. On 2023-08-01, Anthony Adejuwon, a seasoned founder with a background in urban planning, pivoted his career to directly address this issue.
He launched Urban Alert, a civic technology organisation, and subsequently developed Minetrix AI, a conversational artificial intelligence tool designed to demystify complex mineral and mining data, making it genuinely accessible to communities and key stakeholders across the nation.
Improving Nigeria mining data access
This initiative represents a pivotal moment for resource-rich Nigeria. A persistent lack of transparent information has hindered effective governance, environmental protection, and community engagement in an industry vital to national development. Adejuwon’s transition from a commercial consultancy to civic tech underscores a growing imperative: technology must serve public interest, particularly in sectors where information asymmetry breeds inequality and environmental degradation.
Nigeria boasts a diverse array of mineral resources, a potential bedrock for economic growth. Yet, the sector is notoriously difficult to navigate. Communities often remain unaware of who operates nearby mining sites, whether those operators are licensed, or what environmental safeguards are in place. This information vacuum fosters uncertainty, leaving local populations vulnerable to the negative impacts of unregulated or poorly managed mining activities.
Current official systems, while intended for transparency, often fall short in practice. The electronic Mining Cadastre system (eMC+), launched on November 1, 2022, for instance, serves as an open database for tracking mining licenses.
However, its effectiveness is limited by the ability of citizens, journalists, investors, and host communities to actually access and utilise the data. Similarly, the Mines Environmental Compliance (MEC) department lacks a publicly accessible platform for sharing inspection records, violations, or enforcement actions.
From urban planning to civic tech innovation
Anthony Adejuwon’s journey into civic technology was not a direct path. His early interactions with technology in the 2000s, primarily through cybercafés and email, sparked a curiosity that evolved into a deeper understanding of technology’s potential for problem-solving.
While studying Urban and Regional Planning at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Adejuwon encountered geospatial analysis, a discipline that uses computers and satellite imagery to analyse spaces and understand problems. This experience highlighted how technology could be a powerful tool for assessing social and environmental issues.
Around 2012, as he completed his degree, Adejuwon established a consultancy firm focused on city planning and construction. For several years, his firm built solutions within the built environment, integrating technology for various design and operational needs. By 2019, however, his interests began to shift.
He felt a stronger pull towards understanding how policies and human interactions shaped environmental and social outcomes, and how technology could intervene. This led him to pursue a postgraduate diploma in technology management, laying the groundwork for his pivot into civic technology.
His decision in 2020 to found Urban Alert meant stepping away from his profitable consultancy business, which eventually closed. Adejuwon viewed this not as a setback, but as a necessary shift in passion. He recognised that the for-profit model constrained his ability to drive the kind of social change he envisioned.
Civic technology, often non-profit, focuses squarely on public-interest solutions, requiring a deep understanding of a problem before developing any technological answer. African mining technology often grapples with similar data challenges.
Minetrix AI: A conversational solution for mining transparency
At Urban Alert, Adejuwon and his team identified a critical problem: the pervasive information opacity within the mineral and mining sector. This lack of clear, accessible data affected everyone from local communities and journalists to researchers and potential investors. After years of groundwork, understanding the sector’s intricacies across Africa, they began developing Minetrix AI.
Minetrix AI is a bespoke civic tech solution built as a conversational AI tool, specifically tailored for the minerals and mining industry. Its core mission is to simplify access to information, transforming complex data into understandable insights. The platform’s design revolves around four key pillars: data simplicity, data readability, data understanding, and data usability.
It’s not enough for information to exist; people must be able to comprehend it in their own context and apply it to solve real-world social and environmental issues.
The development of Minetrix AI took nine months, but its foundation was years in the making. This included building relationships with government agencies, civil society organisations, community leaders, and mining companies to secure access to essential information.
The tool employs a retrieval-first design, meaning it draws information from a curated database of trusted documents, starting with Nigeria. When a user queries Minetrix AI, it not only provides an answer but also cites the sources, ensuring trust and verifiability. This approach is critical for mining autonomy lessons in data integrity.
Since its launch, Minetrix AI has attracted over 1,200 unique users, with a substantial return rate of 25% to 35%. This user engagement highlights the significant demand for transparent information in the sector.
With Africa holding a substantial share of global mineral resources and Nigeria specifically attracting attention for minerals like gold and lithium, the public’s need to understand local mining activities and uphold their rights is acutely felt.
Beyond the platform: The broader vision for civic tech
Adejuwon’s work extends beyond Minetrix AI. Urban Alert is currently testing another initiative called “Who Is Mining,” designed to provide even more granular information about local mining activities. This project addresses the reality that many communities are unaware of mineral deposits beneath their land or ongoing mining operations in their vicinity.
Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly given the increased interest in lithium mining across Nigeria.
Adejuwon is also a vocal advocate for data privacy in the civic tech space. He argues that relying solely on large corporations for local solutions compromises user safety and data integrity. Instead, he champions the development of homegrown solutions built on local terms of reference, with privacy embedded by design.
He points to the need for robust implementation and enforcement of existing data protection laws, like Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), to truly safeguard users.
Looking ahead, Adejuwon envisages a future where technology is inherently inclusive. He stresses the importance of designing digital products and AI infrastructure with people with disabilities in mind, a demographic often overlooked but crucial for the scalability and societal impact of solutions. This commitment to inclusivity, combined with a flexible mindset to adapt to rapid technological evolution, defines his approach to civic technology.
Driving accountable resource management in Africa
Urban Alert’s work has garnered significant recognition. In 2024, the Osun State Government honoured the organisation for its use of technology to advance social justice, environmental protection, and transparent governance.
Adejuwon himself received an award from BudgIT earlier this year for his climate change activism, acknowledging his efforts to leverage technology for environmental advocacy and to drive conversations around mining and climate. Data upgrades in industrial processes can also face similar challenges with implementation.
The efforts to enhance Nigeria mining data access through tools like Minetrix AI have significant implications for broader industrial development across Africa. Transparent data on mineral resources, licensing, and environmental compliance is fundamental for attracting responsible investment, fostering sustainable mining practices, and ensuring that resource extraction genuinely benefits local populations and national economies.
As Africa continues to be a critical source of raw materials for global industries, platforms that champion data accessibility become indispensable for accountable resource management and sustainable development.
