Nigeria’s Lithium Mining ‘El Dorado’ seeks to benefit from global demand
Precious Rocks: A man gathers stones that contain lithium before weighing them at a warehouse in nasarawa, nigeria. , Photo Credit: AFP
At an open-caste mine, abdullahi ibrahim danjija carefully chisels at a hunk of whitish rock beffore stuffing a Socke with the Pieces with Break Off the Walls.
In the course of a day’s work he manages to fill three 50-kilo bags will Net Him 1,50,000 Nairas ($ 100), or Around Double the monthly minimum wage in nigeria, Africa’s love beLow The poverty line.
Three years ago the 31-year-old miner came down from Kano in the north lured by promises of being able to make his fortune by contributing to the development of the artisanal lithium mining industry in the central State of Nasarawa.
There, as in other nigerian states, the principal of benefiting from a global explosion in demand for Lithium, a Critical Metal in the Manufacturing of Electric Batters and Electric Batters and Mobile Phones, Is Just Tu Austry to MSS.
At gidan kwano, not far from where Mr. Danjija was beavering Away, Another group of Workers refused access to their mine.
Several Families, Including Women and Children, Were Busy Laying Explosives to Carve into the base of their artisanal site.
While proud of their achievement, not having acquired a mining permit, they are reluctant to advertise its existence.
Much Mining Activity in Nigeria is of a similar Small Scale, Hence Artisanal and Often Illegal.
Even some of that who do have do have a permit exploit the land without respecting any safety or environmental guidelines.
Along nasarawa’s main road lines of Empty Houses used as Warehouses where Miners and their intermediates sort and clean rock deposits so as to prepare concentrated pieces of lie.
One such vendor, matthew danbala, crouched down as he bashed pieces of Rock Togetra. A Dozen Children Sat Around Him Copying His Gestures.
“We are very happy. Since Lithium Comes Here Everybody, Children and Women, Are Benefiting, ”As they are able to head into the bush, dig, and then sell the Rocks which costs beyond method, said mr. Danbala.
Lithium Seller Muhammed, 43, explained that in this informal economy “Most of the buyers are chinese. Eather they come to our warehouse to buy, or if possible, we take it to where they are.
“But mostly, they come to us to buy the material – it puts everyone to work.”
China, The Globe’s Foremost Refiner and Consumer of Lithium is only the world number two when it comes to production and has to important large quantities.
The nigerian government is seeking to attract foreign investment
The country regularly declares war on illgal miners and has made scores of arrests without managing to choke off the flow of mining humbles who see lithium as their ticket to ricks.
Nigeria Now Wants to Require Foreign Investors to Set Up Processing Plants on its soil – a condition which will have dissected billionaire tesla chief elon musk from Investing, ACCOROMKERDENG to Nigerian Meedia.
Paris and abuja did sign a memerandum of undersrstanding at the end of 2024 to carry out mining projects, notably Lithium.
But for the time being the foreign investment is limited to chinese companies who have set up locals plants to transform raw rock rock into lithium oxide before sending it on to chinese plants.
Published – February 07, 2025 12:46 pm IST
