Nigerian architects and engineers enthusiastic about marble
by CarraraFiere Press Office

Success for the Workshop organised by the Internazionale Marmi e Macchine in Aduja.
Soon an important project to promote African materials.

Having finalised their official participation in the thirtieth CarraraMarmotec, recognising the great opportunities for technical and business relations with Carrara and the entire marble district, the Minister of Mines & Steel Development, Sada Musa Mohammed, decided to give a further boost to the development of the Nigerian natural stone industry by holding a workshop for engineers and architects which was held in Aduja in conjunction with the Internazionale Marmi e Macchine.

The workshop was divided into two phases, the first a series of conferences held by experts selected by the IMM and the second a more in-depth look at the technical and commercial issues involved. It was held on 26 August, opened by the Minister Sada Musa who emphasised the government's intention to "develop the natural stone industry in a country with important marble and granite deposits and that is already working on a project for sustainable development. To begin this process – said the minister when opening the workshop – it is necessary to work with companies able to give high profile technical and professional assistance and this is why we have involved the Internazionale Marmi e Macchine, because to compete on the leading markets like the European markets, it is necessary to market quality materials certified according to current legislation. Everything is in place to begin an important project to promote our materials and we intend to do just that after taking part in CarraraMarmotec that helped us gain a complete view of the stone industry on an international scale."
The "Ministry of Mines and Steel Development" was particularly impressed by the companies and bodies like the IMM that work in the Apuo-Versilian marble cluster and decided to stage a workshop in Aduja to show the companies who did not take part in the official visit to Carrara the opportunities of high level international working relationships to promote the marketing of Nigerian materials and finished products.


The Minister commissioned the IMM to plan all the technical aspects of the workshop, including the selection of the speakers able to represent the potential of Nigerian stones, and to give useful indications as to their correct use explaining the methods for characterising materials and helping companies deal with the certification and quality control procedures.

The event was a real success with the participation of over 150 architects that filled the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC) hall for the entire day. All the participants received information and copies of the technical reports that will be very useful to operators to deal with marketing issues common to new markets. "The IMM is certainly not new to creating workshops of this kind but they still require a lot of preparation with the selection of high profile speakers. Now we have to think about the follow up to the event - commented Giorgio Bianchini, the IMM Chairman – putting forward a complete project and creating a strong, long-term relationship". In view of the Nigerian government's intention to speed up the exploitation and promotion of the natural resources through a modern process of industrialisation, the next steps will involve close contacts and consultation between the IMM and the Nigerian government.

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