Nigeria is positioning itself as a leading minerals supply hub in Africa following the rollout of major lithium processing and gold refining projects across the country, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said.
Alake made the remarks during talks with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, ahead of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s push for value addition in the mining sector is beginning to deliver concrete results. He disclosed that a high-purity gold refinery is already operational in Lagos, while three additional gold refineries are at different stages of development nationwide. He also announced that a $600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State is ready for commissioning.
Alake said the projects are strengthening Nigeria’s role as a strategic global partner in the supply of critical minerals needed for the transition to clean and green energy, adding that the country is keen to deepen cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the solid minerals sector.
He praised Saudi Arabia for using the Future Minerals Forum as a platform to expand collaboration among governments across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, noting that Nigeria is eager to leverage areas of comparative advantage between both countries.
“There are areas where Saudi Arabia has strong expertise and others where Nigeria has significant strengths. We are interested in structuring agreements that enable meaningful engagement, particularly in capacity building, training, technology transfer and mineral exploration,” Alake said.
The minister further highlighted Nigeria’s vast landmass and its endowment with critical minerals and rare earth elements, stressing that partnerships emerging from the forum must be anchored on fairness, equity and mutual benefit.
Reflecting on engagements since the 2025 edition of the forum, Alake revealed that a joint working group involving the Nigerian delegation and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce has been active over the past year. He said the group’s report is now ready and will be presented before the close of the current forum.
He also identified mineral traceability, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, and mine-pit remediation as key areas for collaboration, noting that strong traceability systems are essential for boosting investor confidence. He added that any partnership framework must include clear implementation timelines and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
In his response, Al-Khorayef reaffirmed Nigeria’s status as a long-standing partner of Saudi Arabia and agreed on the need for a practical and actionable agreement on solid minerals development. He proposed that the joint working group develop a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) based on earlier engagements for possible signing on the sidelines of the conference.
The Saudi minister also encouraged Nigeria to use the Future Minerals Forum to showcase investment opportunities in its mining sector to Saudi investors, while urging African countries to adopt advanced mining technologies, noting that Nigeria could benefit from Saudi Arabia’s experience in this area.
