Nigeria’s Mineral Wealth to Drive Green Energy Transition, New Report Reveals
A groundbreaking report has revealed that Nigeria’s vast endowments of lithium, copper, and bauxite precisely match the critical resources required to accelerate the nation’s green energy transition and spark a domestic industrial revolution.
The report was formally presented to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, by the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement issued by Lara Owoeye-Wise, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, the comprehensive study analyses Nigeria’s projected demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, energy storage technologies, and electric vehicles (EVs).
By examining current mineral supplies and trade patterns, the report charts a direct, strategic line from Nigeria’s clean energy ambitions to its untapped underground wealth.
Closing the Supply Gaps
“The report also assesses current supply and trade positions, identifies the gaps, and sets out strategic pathways to close them,” Owoeye-Wise stated.
Receiving the document, Dr. Alake emphasized that the findings will serve as a foundational policy guide for the federal government’s drive to leverage local mineral resources for the global and domestic energy shift.
“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,” the Minister said.
A Roadmap from Extraction to Manufacturing
In immediate response to the findings, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Council have committed to co-developing a mineral-to-manufacturing localisation roadmap. The initiative aims to move Nigeria away from merely exporting raw resources, ensuring the country retains significant value and creates jobs in-country.
Furthermore, the partnership will aggressively pursue South-South investment opportunities to connect Nigeria directly with manufacturers and clean-tech investors across the Global South, while actively engaging local stakeholders to kickstart green industrialisation projects.
The body operates as a partnership between Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global South Center for Clean Transportation under the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.