Nigeria, Saudi Arabia explore deeper cooperation in solid minerals
Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, has called for stronger collaboration with Saudi Arabia to expand Nigeria’s mining capacity and accelerate exploration activities.
The proposal was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by Segun Tomori, special assistant on media to the minister, following a meeting between Alake and Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry and mineral resources.
According to Tomori, the meeting took place ahead of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF), scheduled for January 13 to January 15 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Alake said Nigeria is positioning itself as Africa’s emerging minerals hub under the ministry’s value-addition policy, with lithium and gold projects leading the sector’s growth.
He listed key initiatives to include a gold refining plant in Lagos, three additional gold refineries under development, and a N600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa state that is ready for commissioning.
The minister praised Saudi Arabia for broadening collaboration across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe through the FMF, while signalling Nigeria’s readiness to deepen partnerships in solid minerals development.
“There are areas of comparative advantage where Saudi Arabia excels and others where Nigeria has strengths,” he said.
“We are keen on structuring agreements that will enable us engage meaningfully and constructively.
“Priority areas include capacity building, training of mining professionals, technology transfer, and particularly exploration, where Saudi Arabia has demonstrated some expertise.”
Alake added that Nigeria’s vast landmass is richly endowed with critical minerals and rare earth elements needed by the global economy, stressing the importance of fair and equitable partnerships facilitated through the FMF platform.
He also said a joint working group made up of members of the Nigerian delegation and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce has been active, noting that its report is ready for presentation at the forum following engagements after FMF 2025.
The minister said mineral traceability, environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, and mine-pit remediation are among the priority areas identified for collaboration.
In his response, Al-Khorayef reaffirmed Nigeria’s status as a longstanding ally of Saudi Arabia and agreed on the need for a practical and actionable agreement on solid minerals development.
The Saudi minister proposed that the joint working group draft a memorandum of understanding (MoU), building on previous engagements, for possible signing on the sidelines of the conference.
In December 2025, the solid minerals ministry said the sector is positioned for strong growth, with revenue projected to rise to N70 billion in 2025 from N38 billion in 2024.
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