President Bola Tinubu is expected to visit Nasarawa State to commission a new 6,000-metric-ton lithium processing plant built by Chinese investors, Governor Abdullahi Sule confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with the President at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Sule explained that the new facility is located in Nasarawa Local Government Area and represents a major step forward in Nigeria’s lithium value chain. The plant is the second to be constructed in the state within the last year and is twice the size of the 3,000MT lithium processing plant launched in 2023.
Sule said Tinubu will carry out the commissioning shortly after his return from France, where the President is scheduled for a two-week stay.
The governor noted, “They said they were going to build a bigger one… they have just concluded building it, and it is ready for commissioning. Mr. President promised that on his return, he’s going to come to Nasarawa to commission the project.”
Nasarawa, in north-central Nigeria, is increasingly becoming the hub of Nigeria’s lithium mining and processing activities, driven by foreign investment. Lithium, a critical mineral in the production of electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems, has become globally sought after as part of the ongoing energy transition.
Sule further added, “Today has to do with the lithium processing plant that we have just finished building by an investor that came from China. If you remember, last year, we commissioned the 3,000 metric tons capacity plant in Nasarawa. And during the period, another set of investors, because of the quality of lithium and the commercial deposit that they noticed, moved in.”
This development reflects the Federal Government’s broader efforts to attract value-added investment in solid minerals and curb the export of raw resources. In May, the Ministry of Solid Minerals announced that Nigeria would commission at least two Chinese-backed lithium processing plants in 2025 as part of its beneficiation strategy (source).
Industry experts believe that boosting local refining capacity will not only create jobs but also reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports while positioning the country as a key player in the global supply chain for clean energy technologies.
The new Nasarawa lithium processing plant stands as a strong signal of growing foreign confidence in Nigeria’s mining sector. For more insights into how strategic mineral investments are reshaping Nigeria’s economy, explore our feature on Nigeria’s solid minerals and economic outlook.
