An innovative ICT firm, Koala Tech is leveraging technology to transform Nigeria’s mining sector, offering solutions to long-standing challenges in mineral exploration, extraction, and monitoring.
In an exclusive interview with Nigerian Mining, Bello Umar, Chief Operating Officer of Koala Tech, revealed how his company is addressing critical gaps in the sector through field ICT solutions.
“We focus on field ICT, which involves an array of tools, technology and methods applied to provide tech support and intervention to field-related activities, particularly agriculture, mining, and construction,” Umar explained.
The company’s approach is particularly relevant given the sector’s current challenges. Umar offered a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s mining ecosystem: “If I were to score, I would give the government a 10 out of 100 for past performance, though recent interventions are pushing it toward 25%.”
On technological solutions for illegal mining, Umar highlighted satellite monitoring as a key tool: “The mining belts in Nigeria have been plotted and captured. With satellite services monitoring these spots, you can have real-time active monitoring of everything happening within spaces of interest for the government.”
One of Koala Tech’s innovative offerings is the Earth Observatory system, which Umar describes as providing “real-time series reports of what is happening on a given geographical location.”
However, the sector faces significant challenges. “Most mining companies or mining operations in Nigeria, even when registered as companies, are still not operating according to standard mining operations,” Umar noted.
Regarding value addition, he pointed out a critical gap: “There’s very little amount of processing being done in Nigeria. The actual wealth is not in our hands because people buy [minerals] at very low rates and add value elsewhere.”
Looking ahead, Koala Tech is working on a project involving a 15-year mining lease with a community, implementing ICT tools for transparency between operators and landowners.
“The full transparency and visibility is something that is going to ultimately be powered by Koala Technology,” Umar concluded.
Koala Tech’s policy direction underscores the growing role of technology in modernising Nigeria’s mining sector, while highlighting persistent challenges in standardisation, processing, and value addition.
