Abuja: The Executive Director of the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI), Dr. Olumide Abimbola, has emphasized the necessity for Nigeria to transition from merely exporting raw minerals to developing industries and creating jobs within the solid minerals sector. Abimbola delivered this message during the opening of a High-Level Stakeholders Conference on ‘Advancing Nigeria’s Green Industrialisation Through Critical Minerals’ held in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the conference was jointly organized by APRI, the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), and Ford Foundation. Abimbola highlighted the growing global demand for minerals such as copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earth elements, driven by energy and digital transitions. He stressed that geopolitical tensions and supply-chain challenges have made access to these minerals a matter of economic and national security. Abimbola pointed out that regions across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Gulf are formulating critical mineral strategies and forging new partnerships.
Abimbola stated that APRI’s research on Africa’s green mineral partnerships identified nearly 100 agreements with African countries and international partners, primarily established in the last decade. He emphasized the importance of focusing on building economies around these minerals to support new industries, create jobs, and enhance technological capabilities. He advocated for attracting investment in power, infrastructure, and manufacturing while ensuring Nigerian businesses play a meaningful role in the value chains, ultimately benefiting local communities.
He cautioned against replicating past extractive models, where raw minerals are exported without processing, and the economic value is generated elsewhere. Instead, Abimbola proposed supporting African countries to industrialize based on their resources, citing APRI’s flagship project on Africa’s green minerals and Nigeria’s critical minerals strategy project engaging actors in five mineral-rich states.
The conference focused on three main areas: Nigeria’s minerals in a shifting global order, the domestic ecosystem for green industrialization, and community and environmental rights. Abimbola stressed that mining communities should not bear the environmental and social costs while value is created elsewhere. He also acknowledged the leadership of government ministries, departments, and agencies, and expressed gratitude to Ford Foundation for their partnership.
Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi, Director-General of NCCC, underscored the need for Nigeria to identify its competitive advantages and build domestic capacity. She emphasized creating more Nigerian value from mining rather than just increasing mining activities. Majekodunmi highlighted the contradiction of producing minerals for clean technologies through highly polluting extraction processes. She pointed out that responsible production would soon become essential for market access and competitiveness, as global players closely monitor carbon footprints and traceability.
Majekodunmi called for a new approach to building infrastructure, processing plants, and manufacturing facilities using cleaner power and stronger environmental safeguards. She stressed that climate ambitions must align with investment opportunities, as government alone cannot finance these significant investments. She emphasized the importance of ensuring tangible benefits for communities, citing lessons from the UNCCD conference in Mongolia.
Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director of Ford Foundation, remarked that Nigeria stands at a historical juncture to redefine its economy through critical minerals. She noted that while Nigeria’s economy has long relied on hydrocarbons, the global shift toward clean energy is rapidly reshaping global trade. Aniagolu-Okoye noted that Nigeria possesses vast, largely untapped deposits of lithium, copper, magnesium, and bauxite, essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage.
Aniagolu-Okoye urged for policies that prioritize domestic value addition through processing, beneficiation, and manufacturing within Nigeria’s borders. She advocated for building local lithium processing plants, utilizing advanced satellite mapping for precision exploration, and enforcing local content laws to create a sustainable industrial ecosystem that generates jobs and retains economic wealth domestically.