Nigeria determined to build 21st century mining hub
- 2 December 2025
Africa must be a participant not a passenger in the global energy transition, Nigeria solid minerals development minister Dr Oladele Henry Alake told Resourcing Tomorrow 2025.
Former journalist and founding chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) launched at last year’s Future Minerals Forum in Saudi Arabia, Alake said the platform was forged to help build “continental solidarity” and with a vision to “harmonise policies, deepen intra-African beneficiation and ensure that Africa speaks with one voice in the global mineral economy”.
“At the Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit 2025, which we hosted in Abuja, we launched the Africans for Africa Investment Fund to mobilise regional financing for infrastructure and processing facilities,” he said.
“And our partnerships continue to grow with Saudi Arabia, the United States, the European Union and our partners under the Minerals Security Partnership, all dedicated to developing sustainable and transparent mineral supply chains.”
The hand behind a raft of mining regulatory changes under Bola Tinubu’s two-year-old government in Nigeria, Alake told Resourcing Tomorrow the administration’s ambition was to make Nigeria “the hub of critical minerals processing and innovation in Africa”.
“We are expanding transport corridors to connect mining zones with ports and industrial parks,” he said.
“We are investing in green-energy corridors and refining capacity for lithium, nickel, cobalt and tin.
“We are developing research collaborations with global universities and technology firms to unlock new applications for our mineral endowment.
“Our vision is crystal clear: no mineral leaves Nigeria unprocessed.
“We are determined to add value where value is created – in Nigeria. That means establishing processing clusters, lapidary and jewellery centres and battery-grade mineral plants that generate employment and industrial capacity.”
Nigeria was also keen to attract international investment in its nascent mining sector.
“Since last year Chinese companies such as Canmax Technologies, Jiuling Lithium, Avatar New Energy Nigeria and Asba Group have collectively invested over US$1.3 billion in lithium processing projects across Nigeria,” Alake said.
“These are not speculative ventures, they are bricks, mortar and machinery. And just outside Abuja, the federal capital of Nigeria, construction is underway for a $50 million lithium processing plant, the first in a network of industrial clusters that will extend through Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Ebonyi States.
“This is the face of a new Nigeria; one that mines responsibly, processes locally and trades globally.
“Our journey to reform the sector began with restoring credibility.
“We have digitalised the Mining Cadastre Office so that every license, every application and every approval can now be tracked transparently.
“Our Geological Survey Agency has completed geological mapping for over 80% of the country’s landmass, generating data that guides exploration decisions with precision.
“To translate policy into measurable impact, we have created the Nigeria Solid Minerals Company (NSMC), a bold new instrument of national strategy that transforms how governments engage with the private sector. The NSMC embodies our philosophy of shared prosperity through shared investment.
“It functions as a sovereign partner, co-investing in high-value mineral projects, de-risking exploration and catalysing downstream processing.
“And to ensure accountability across our value chain we finalised the Solid Minerals Export Guidelines in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria, aligning our export systems with international traceability and ESG standards.
“Transparency is no longer negotiable; it is the foundation of investor confidence.”
Alake said Africa’s minerals had powered industrial revolutions abroad “while its people remained on the margins of prosperity”.
“That era is ending,” he said.
“Nigeria is changing that narrative boldly and decisively.
“We are moving from a raw-material exporter to a value-adding nation.”
