The Director-General of the National Metallurgical Development Centre, Prof, Ibrahim Maduguhas pledged the commitment of the centre to fulfilling its manifest role in the development of the country’s steel sector.
He said the total transformation of the centre would enable it assume its leadership role in the steel and metallurgical industry in the West African sub-region. This is by providing the enabling environment for increased research and activities in the centre.
According to Madugu, “This explains why the upgrading of the existing facilities, including the acquisition of the most modern machines/equipment in the Centre’s laboratories occupied my administration’s priorities on assumption of office in 2010.”
While saying that NMDC laboratories are equipped with modern machines with integrated facilities to carry out research and development in all areas of steel and metallurgical industry, he disclosed that the Centrerecently acquired and installed two Electric Arc Furnace for high temperature research, and for the production of Alloy steel, tin slag processing and production. This is in addition to the acquisition and installation of the most modern Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) machine to strengthen all analytical research based activities in the Centre.
“The Centre’s Lead-Zinc Blast pilot plant is at the commissioning stage,” he said adding that the plant has the capacity to process two tons of lead ore per a batch. It is one of its kinds in the West Africa sub-region.
“They can produce virtually all kinds of alloy steels and foundry iron for oil and gas and allied industries,” he said.
Madugu charged industrialists, investors, miners, stakeholders in the steel and metallurgy industry to take advantage of the Centre’s expanded products and services in the interest of national metallurgical and economic development.
