FG Begins Operations At Lagos, Nasarawa Gold Refining Plants
By Felix Kuyinu
The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed that it has begun operations at gold refining plants located in Lagos and Nasarawa states.
The government held that the two facilities alongside three additional gold refineries at different stages of development across the country and a $600m lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State are ready for commissioning.
This was relayed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who mentioned that the initiate marked tangible outcomes of the government’s value-addition policy in the mining sector to reposition Nigeria as pace seter in minerals hub and a strategic global partner in critical minerals for the green energy transition.
Alake, during a meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, held ahead of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia said the the engagement focused on deepening bilateral cooperation in solid minerals development and translating previous discussions into actionable outcomes.
Tbe Minister uttered that the operational Lagos refinery and the forthcoming lithium processing facility underscore the Federal Government’s determination to move Nigeria away from the export of raw minerals to in-country processing and beneficiation.
“Nigeria’s value-addition policy is already yielding tangible results, with a gold refining plant of very high purity now operational in Lagos, three additional gold refineries at various stages of development, and a $600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State ready for commissioning,”he stated.
“Nigeria was eager to strengthen its partnership with Saudi Arabia by leveraging areas of comparative advantage, particularly in capacity building, training of mining professionals, technology transfer and exploration,” he stated.
“There are areas of comparative advantage where Saudi Arabia excels and others where Nigeria has strengths. We are keen on structuring agreements that will enable us to 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,” Dr. Alake stated.,” Alake added.
He added that a joint working group comprising officials from Nigeria and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce had been active over the past year and would present its report before the end of the current forum.
He emphasized mineral traceability, Environmental, Social and Governance standards, and mine-pit remediation as priority areas for collaboration, noting that traceability in particular boosts investor confidence and should be central to any partnership, alongside clear timelines and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
In his assertion, 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.
He proposed that the working group develop a draft MOU based on previous engagements for possible signing on the sidelines of the conference.
The Saudi minister urged Nigeria to showcase investment opportunities in its mining sector to Saudi investors, and also encouraged African countries to adopt advanced technologies in mining development, noting that Nigeria could benefit from Saudi Arabia’s progress in this area.
