NIGERIA'S SOLID MINERALS POLICY AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT FOR INDIGENOUS BRASS ARTISANS IN NIGER STATE

Nigeria's renewed drive to diversify its economy through solid mineral development has intensified interest in how mineral governance translates into inclusive outcomes for downstream indigenous industries. However, empirical evidence on artisanal value chains dependent on mineral-based raw materials remains scarce. This study investigated the influence of Nigeria's Solid Minerals Policy on the economic empowerment of indigenous brass artisans in Niger State, Nigeria. Anchored in the Capability Approach and Global Value Chain theory, economic empowerment is conceptualized as access to raw materials, income stability, productive capacity, finance, market participation, and institutional inclusion. A mixed-methods descriptive design was adopted; combining survey data from 215 brass artisans in Bida with key informant interviews involving regulators, mining stakeholders, raw-material actors, and artisan representatives. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, mean scores, and chi-square tests, while qualitative data were examined thematically. Results indicate that the policy has had limited tangible effect on artisans' economic empowerment, particularly regarding raw-material affordability, credit access, income growth, and production expansion. Persistent reliance on informal intermediaries, restricted access to mineral buying centres, low policy awareness, and weak institutional coordination further constrain artisans' integration into the mineral governance framework. The study concludes that policy intent has not adequately translated into workshop-level outcomes, underscoring a structural disconnect between national mineral governance and grassroots artisanal livelihoods. It recommends a targeted artisan-support framework and a formal mineral–artisan linkage platform to strengthen raw-material access, financing, technological capacity, and artisan participation in mineral-sector governance.