Nigeria has announced the discovery of a polymetallic mineral deposit in Kaduna State containing nickel, copper, gold, platinum group metals and rare earth elements, as the government steps up efforts to expand mining into a major source of economic growth alongside the country’s oil industry.
The deposit is located in the pegmatite region of Gidan Waya in Jema’a Local Government Area and was discovered by Steron Mining. The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency confirmed the find, which government experts described as one of Nigeria’s most significant critical minerals discoveries in recent years.
Kaduna State is known for high-grade platinum, lithium and other associated rare earth elements. Steron Mining also recently announced the discovery of 3.3 million metric tons of lithium reserves at a project near Abuja, with total mineral resources estimated at 94.8 million tons.
The discovery comes as Abuja pursues reforms intended to expand the solid minerals sector and increase domestic processing of raw materials. The government now requires mining license applicants to submit plans for processing and refining minerals within Nigeria rather than exporting raw ore.
Authorities have also revoked more than 1,600 inactive or illegally held mineral titles, while the Mining Cadastre Office canceled more than 4,700 dormant, expired and illegally acquired titles as part of efforts to combat illegal mining and speculative land banking.
China has emerged as a major investor in Nigeria’s mining industry, particularly in mineral processing. Jiuling Lithium Mining Company is investing $600 million in a processing facility on the Kaduna-Niger state border, while Canmax Technologies is developing a $200 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State. The projects support Nigeria’s policy of increasing domestic value-added processing before export.
Despite the government’s focus on mining, crude oil remains Nigeria’s largest source of foreign exchange, generating ₦20.22 trillion ($14.66 billion) in export revenue during the first five months of the current year.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has set a target of increasing crude oil production by about 100,000 barrels per day to 1.8 million bpd, while the 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery continues supplying Nigeria’s domestic fuel market and exporting refined petroleum products.
