On Thursday 02 July 2026, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned a new lithium processing facility which is the largest in Africa.

The factory was constructed by a Chinese company, Diamond New Energy, in partnership with the Nasarawa State Government.

The $250 million plant has a processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes lithium per day (equivalent to about 3 million tonnes per annum), and is located in the Endo industrial hub within Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

It was constructed in cooperation with the Chinese companies Jiuling / Canmax, whose combined production capacity accounts for over 20% of the global lithium market.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the launch, President Tinubu said the commissioning shows Nigeria is ready to move from mere raw mineral extraction to fullscale local processing and value addition.

Source: NaijaPhilia