The Federal Government has begun operations at a high-purity gold refining plant in Lagos, while three other gold refineries are at various stages of development nationwide.

In addition, a $600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State is set for commissioning.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced this on Tuesday, describing the projects as concrete results of the government’s value-addition strategy in the mining sector.

He said the initiatives are positioning Nigeria as Africa’s leading minerals hub and a key global partner in supplying critical minerals for the green energy transition.

Alake made the remarks during a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, held ahead of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.

According to a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, the talks centred on strengthening bilateral cooperation in solid minerals development and converting earlier discussions into concrete, actionable outcomes.

Alake said the operational Lagos refinery and the soon-to-be-commissioned lithium processing plant highlight the Federal Government’s resolve to shift Nigeria from exporting raw minerals to promoting domestic 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 $600m lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State ready for commissioning,” the minister said.

He added that Nigeria is keen to deepen its partnership with Saudi Arabia by harnessing areas of comparative advantage, especially in capacity building, training of mining professionals, technology transfer, and exploration activities.

“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,” Alake noted.

The minister further underscored Nigeria’s vast landmass and rich deposits of critical minerals and rare earth elements vital to the global economy, urging that the Future Minerals Forum be leveraged to refine partnerships based on fairness, equity, and mutual benefit.

In his remarks, Al-Khorayef reaffirmed Nigeria as a longstanding ally of Saudi Arabia and concurred on the need for a practical, actionable agreement on solid minerals development.

He proposed that the working group prepare a draft memorandum of understanding, drawing from previous engagements, for possible signing on the sidelines of the conference.

Nigeria has recently stepped up efforts to reform its mining sector, tackle illegal mining, and attract investment through incentives, stronger regulation, and a renewed drive for local processing of solid minerals.