President Bola Tinubu has commissioned a new lithium processing plant located in Endo, Nasarawa Local Government Area The President commissioned the Diamond New Energy lithium mining and processing plant on Thursday. The plant, built by Diamond New Energy, a Chinese firm, in partnership with the Nasarawa State Government, has a processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes of lithium per day and represents an investment of about $250 million.
It was constructed in collaboration with Chinese firms Jiuling and Canmax, whose combined global production capacity accounts for more than 20 per cent of the world’s lithium market. The commissioning was attended by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule; the Emir of Keffi; Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada; the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Princess Margaret Elayo; traditional rulers; and officials of the investing companies.
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He said the plant formed part of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda to reposition mining as a driver of industrialisation, job creation and economic diversification, noting that lithium remains central to battery technology and the global energy transition.
President Tinubu commended Governor Sule’s leadership, describing him as a governor who has created an environment where investors can operate with confidence. He added that Nasarawa State’s peaceful and inclusive character had made it an attractive destination for serious investment.
Governor Sule, in his remarks, thanked President Tinubu and the investors for their confidence in the state. He noted that Nasarawa is endowed with lithium, zinc, copper, gemstones, cobalt, gold, marble and iron ore, in addition to its strong agricultural potential.
He said the state government had worked to restore security in the once-volatile Endo community, making it possible for the project to take off, and urged the investors to ensure that their operations translated into direct benefits for host communities. The Minister of Solid Minerals Development said the commissioning validated the ministry’s seven-point reform agenda, particularly its local value-addition policy, which prohibits the export of raw minerals and mandates processing within Nigeria before export.