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The Nigerian Government has announced the discovery of a major mineral-rich area in Kaduna State containing large deposits of gold, platinum group metals, nickel, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, made the announcement on Wednesday at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit 2026 in Abuja.
According to Alake, the discovery was verified by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and is one of the most significant developments in the country’s mining sector in recent years.
“This is the first time I am announcing this publicly,” the minister said, describing the deposits as “world-class” and capable of attracting major mining investments to Nigeria.
He said the discovery was made by a private company working with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and could strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global market for critical minerals used in clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Alake also highlighted reforms introduced by the Nigerian Government to improve the mining sector, including the revocation of more than 3,000 inactive mining licences and a new policy requiring mining companies to submit plans for local processing before obtaining mining leases.
According to him, the government wants to move away from exporting raw minerals and instead encourage local processing, job creation, and industrial development.
The minister said the policy is already attracting investments, including an $800 million lithium processing project, a $600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State, and a $200 million lithium factory near Abuja, which is awaiting commissioning.
He added that government revenue from the mining sector has risen significantly, from about N6 billion under the previous administration to more than N70 billion by the end of 2025.
Furthermore, delegates who attended the summit visited a lithium mining site operated by Steron Mining and Company Limited in Abuja.
The company’s Managing Director, Abu Omar, revealed that the site contains an estimated 3.3 million metric tonnes of lithium reserves.
Omar said lithium remains one of the world’s most important minerals due to growing demand for batteries used in renewable energy systems and electric vehicles.
