A civil society organisation (CSO), Coalition for the Revival of Ajaokuta Steel Company has announced move to resuscitate the moribund foremost steel company in Nigeria.
The coalition has announced a virtual International Conference on the Ajaokuta Steel Company, scheduled to hold virtually on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
The planned conference is themed Ajaokuta Phenomenon in Tinubu’s Era: A Turning Point or Another Missed Opportunity?”
The conference comes at a critical juncture in Nigeria’s economic and industrial journey as it seeks to interrogate the status, prospects, and political will surrounding the revival of the long-abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex—widely regarded as the backbone of Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.
A statement by the coalition’s National Coordinator, Mohammed Bougei Attah said “the conference will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including engineers, academics, labour leaders, international consultants, civil society actors, and policy influencers from Nigeria and across the globe—particularly from the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Belgium, and The Gambia.”
It said: “As the nation grapples with economic diversification, unemployment, and infrastructure deficits, the question remains whether Ajaokuta will finally be revived or continue as a missed opportunity.
“This conference represents a decisive moment for civil society and stakeholders to demand clarity, commitment, and concrete action from government and partners.”
Specifically, the conference aims to: reignite national discourse on the strategic importance of Ajaokuta Steel Company, assess the commitment of the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu toward its revival, provide a platform for evidence-based policy recommendations, strengthen civic advocacy for transparency, accountability, and sustainable industrial development and mobilize both domestic and international support for actionable reforms.
The conference will feature a keynote address by Prof. Banji Oyeyinka, a visiting Fellow at The Open University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom and former staff of the African Development Bank (ADB) and a high-level panel discussion with experts in engineering, trade, civil society, and human rights
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