President Bola Tinubu on Thursday inaugurated a new 6,000-metric-tonne lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State, marking Nigeria’s biggest facility of its kind and the latest milestone in the country’s push to build a domestic value chain around its solid mineral wealth. 

The commissioning ceremony, held at Kama Otto in Nasarawa Local Government Area, drew top government officials, traditional rulers and representatives of the Chinese investors behind the project.

The facility, built by Avatar New Energy Materials Company Limited in partnership with the Nasarawa State Government, is twice the size of a 3,000-tonne plant the same investors commissioned in the state in 2023.

Governor Abdullahi Sule, who had earlier disclosed that the plant was ready for commissioning following the President’s return from an overseas trip, credited the investment to the confidence Chinese partners had developed in the quality and scale of lithium deposits found in the state.

Speaking at the event, Tinubu described the plant as part of his administration’s broader strategy to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from oil by fully harnessing the country’s solid minerals sector. He noted that the government’s policy direction is aimed at ensuring more of the value chain, from raw extraction to full processing, is completed within Nigeria rather than exporting unprocessed minerals abroad, and he urged both local and international companies to continue investing in the sector.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, praised the investors for demonstrating that lithium processing in Nigeria is both feasible and profitable, adding that growing interest from other companies in setting up similar plants shows the sector’s expanding potential. Governor Sule also commended security agencies for stabilising the area, which had previously been troubled by banditry, allowing the investment to take root.

Officials say the plant is expected to create thousands of jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global push toward lithium-ion battery and clean energy supply chains.

Photo Credit: Punch Newspapers