China, Nigeria strengthen ties to boost solid minerals sector, eye electric vehicle factories
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, HE Yu Dunhai, has emphasised the critical need for enhanced cooperation between China and Nigeria to unlock the vast potential of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
This collaboration aims to include the establishment of electric vehicle (EV) factories in Nigeria, marking a significant step toward economic diversification and industrialistion.
During a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, Ambassador Dunhai brought out Nigeria’s wealth of natural resources and reiterated China’s strategic commitment to Nigeria, referencing the recent agreement between Presidents Bola Tinubu and Xi Jinping to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“Chinese companies are already deeply involved in Nigeria’s mining sector, from exploration to processing. We aim to deepen this collaboration, especially in line with President Tinubu’s eight priority areas, notably economic diversification through solid minerals,” Ambassador Dunhai stated in a statement on Sunday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori.
The ambassador also assured that Chinese firms operating in Nigeria are urged to comply with all regulations, environmental standards, and corporate social responsibility mandates. He stressed China’s zero tolerance for illegal mining and pledged cooperation with Nigerian authorities to bring offenders to justice.
In response, Minister Alake acknowledged the strong bilateral ties and the generally compliant nature of Chinese investors but expressed concern over isolated incidents undermining this relationship.
“We’ve taken action against illegal operators, including some Chinese nationals. While isolated, such incidents undermine the good work of many compliant Chinese firms. We need your cooperation in ensuring that such culprits are brought to justice,” Alake remarked.
Alake further commended the impact of the Mining Marshals in curbing illegal mining and underscored Nigeria’s focus on local value addition in mining.
“For years, our minerals have been exported raw to fuel foreign industrialisation. That must change. We now prioritise local processing to drive Nigeria’s development. For instance, with the abundance of lithium, we want to see local manufacturing of electric vehicles and batteries,” he said.
He thereby urged Dunhai to encourage Chinese investors to commit to full-cycle investments-from extraction to processing-within Nigeria’s large market, which holds great potential to reduce fossil fuel dependence.
However, Dunhai expressed strong support for Nigeria’s local value-addition policy and revealed plans are underway to establish electric vehicle factories and other manufacturing ventures in Nigeria, aligning with President Xi Jinping’s priority of promoting African industrialisation.
This development signals a promising future for Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and its broader industrial ambitions, with China playing a pivotal role in the country’s economic transformation.
