On the sidelines of the *Future Minerals Forum, held in Riyadh on 12 January 2026, *The Royal Institute, Zuma Rock, Niger–Abuja Corridor emerged as a key institutional beneficiary of advancing South–South cooperation between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on geopark development.
The engagement leveraged Saudi Arabia’s recent success in establishing UNESCO Global Geoparks to inform Nigeria’s pioneering efforts in West Africa.
Coordinated through the UNESCO IGGP Nigeria National Committee under the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, the engagement aligned with national efforts to position geoparks as instruments for geoheritage conservation, environmental management, revenue generation, and geoparks diplomacy. Within this framework, the Royal Institute served as the convening and hosting platform for translating international cooperation into a place-based aspiring geopark model anchored at Zuma Rock.
With the participation of the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development at the Forum—and representation through the Permanent Secretary at the geopark engagements—the visit facilitated a non-binding, operator-to-operator peer exchange between the North Riyadh UNESCO Global Geopark and the Zuma Rock Aspiring Geopark. This engagement established a practical pathway for operational learning, institutional coordination, and long-term collaboration between Nigerian and Saudi geopark structures.
Further discussions with the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification expanded the scope of cooperation to include geotourism, environmental management, land restoration, and capacity development.
Insights from the Thadiq Governorate experience highlighted the role of geoparks in driving local economic development, cultural integration, and community-based value creation.
A key policy takeaway from the engagement underscored the need for proactive identification and protection of high-potential geoheritage sites within Nigeria’s licensing framework. Overall, the cooperation strengthened institutional understanding, reinforced high-level policy awareness, and positioned the Royal Institute as Nigeria’s primary platform for adapting and operationalising lessons from Saudi Arabia’s UNESCO Global Geoparks model.
