The Ministers of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has called for stronger collaboration with Saudi Arabia to enhance Nigeria’s mining capacity and expand exploration activities.
In a statement on Tuesday, the minister’s special assistant on media,Segun Tomori, said Alake made the call during a meeting with Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry and mineral resources.
Tomori added that the meeting took place ahead of the Future Minerals Forum, scheduled for January 13–15 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Alake stated that Nigeria is emerging as Africa’s leading minerals hub under the ministry’s value-addition policy, with lithium and gold projects spearheading growth in the sector.
He highlighted key projects, including a gold refining plant in Lagos, three more gold refineries under development, and a ₦600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State ready for commissioning.
The minister praised Saudi Arabia for broadening collaboration opportunities across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe through the Future Minerals Forum, while reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in solid minerals development.
“There are areas of comparative advantage where Saudi Arabia excels and others where Nigeria has strengths,” he said.
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“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 also noted that Nigeria’s vast landmass is rich in critical minerals and rare earth elements vital to the global economy, emphasizing the importance of fair and equitable partnerships through the FMF platform.
He added that a joint working group, made up of members of the Nigerian delegation and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, has been actively engaged, with its report ready for presentation at the forum following discussions after FMF 2025.
On his part, Al-Khorayef reaffirmed Nigeria’s status as a longstanding ally of Saudi Arabia and agreed on the importance of reaching a practical, actionable agreement on solid minerals development.
He proposed that the joint working group draft a memorandum of understanding, building on previous discussions, for potential signing on the sidelines of the conference.
In December 2025, the Nigerian Ministry of Solid Minerals Development projected significant growth in the sector, with revenue expected to rise to ₦70 billion in 2025, up from ₦38 billion in 2024.
