A report says Nigeria’s endowment of lithium, copper and bauxite aligns precisely with the minerals needed to accelerate the country’s green energy transition.

Lara Owoeye-Wise, the special assistant on media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.  

Mrs Owoeye-Wise said the report was formally handed over to the minister by the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

The council is a collaborative platform dedicated to helping emerging economies build secure, local mineral supply chains that drive domestic industrialisation.

She said the report analysed Nigeria’s projected demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, energy storage technologies and electric vehicles, while also examining current mineral supply and trade patterns.

She also said that the report charted a direct line from Nigeria’s clean energy ambitions to its mineral wealth.

“The report also assesses current supply and trade positions, identifies the gaps and sets out strategic pathways to close them,” she said.

She added that Mr Alake, while receiving the report, noted that it provided a mineral policy guide for Nigeria’s drive to leverage its mineral resources for energy transition.

According to him, while mapping domestic demand, supply and trade patterns, this report provides mineral-specific policy pathways to leverage Nigeria’s resources for our own green industrialisation.

Sequel to the development, the council, in partnership with the solid minerals ministry, has committed to developing a mineral-to-manufacturing localisation roadmap to retain more value in-country.

Also, greater South-South investment partnerships will be pursued to connect Nigeria with manufacturers and investors across the Global South, while local stakeholders will be engaged to advance green industrialisation projects.

The Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South is a partnership between Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global South Centre for Clean Transportation at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.

(NAN)