Abuja, Nigeria, 2 September 2026 – More than 160 stakeholders from Nigeria's mining, climate, energy and industrial sectors convened in Abuja to identify practical measures for leveraging critical minerals to advance green industrialisation, economic diversification and sustainable development, while supporting Nigeria's net-zero emissions objective by 2060.
The High-Level Stakeholder Convening on Advancing Nigeria's Green Industrialisation Through Critical Minerals was organised by the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) in collaboration with APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute, with support from the Ford Foundation. It brought together policymakers, industry leaders, investors, development partners, civil society organisations, researchers and other stakeholders to examine how Nigeria can translate its mineral endowment into industrial capability, investment, jobs and broader economic value.
Representing the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Hon. Dr. Oladele Henry Alake, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, FNSE, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, highlighted the importance of defining critical minerals according to Nigeria's own development priorities. He noted that the Ministry, in partnership with the World Bank, has developed a critical minerals development roadmap for Nigeria.
"The strategic blueprint will define Nigeria's own priority critical minerals, since the concept of ‘critical mineral’ is relative to each nation's own priorities, and will map out how development, financing, compliance and enforcement will work."
He added that the roadmap, once launched, is expected to provide a strategic framework for critical minerals development in Nigeria and could offer lessons for the wider continent.
Representing the Honourable Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, emphasised that Nigeria's industrial ambitions must advance alongside strong environmental safeguards.
"Economic development and environmental protection are not competing objectives; both must advance together, and environmental protection cannot be negotiated away in pursuit of investment."
She stressed that Nigeria must build a critical minerals economy that is environmentally responsible, economically transformative, socially inclusive and nationally beneficial, while ensuring that investment aligns with the country's development and environmental objectives.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi, Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), underscored the need to connect climate policy with Nigeria's wider economic and industrial ambitions.
"Our role is to ensure that Nigeria's climate policy supports, rather than sits separately from, the country's wider economic and industrial ambitions."
She noted that Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contributions, Energy Transition Plan, emerging carbon-market architecture and climate-finance ecosystem should ultimately help attract investment, create competitive industries and improve livelihoods.
Speaking on the role of development finance in the sector, Mr Abdulmajeed Musa, Technical Adviser, representing Hajia Fatima Umaru Shinkafi, Executive Secretary & CEO of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), reaffirmed the Fund's commitment to strengthening Nigeria's mining ecosystem.
"The Solid Minerals Development Fund remains committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen Nigeria's mining ecosystem, mobilise responsible investment and translate our mineral resources into greater economic value creation."
He highlighted the need to move beyond conversations about mineral potential towards implementation, investment readiness and building industries around Nigeria's mineral resources.
Dr. Chichi Aniagolu, Regional Director, Ford Foundation, West Africa, emphasised the importance of cross-sector collaboration in shaping Nigeria's green industrialisation agenda.
"To build a blueprint for Nigeria's green energy revolution, we must enhance and strengthen collaboration across traditional silos and facilitate a rich exchange of knowledge, learning deeply from both international successes and our own domestic experiences. No single entity can achieve this alone. That is why this forum is intentionally designed to promote a fierce, transparent dialogue on governance, strategic investment, beneficiation, local value addition, and, crucially, long-term environmental sustainability and positive community outcomes."
Also speaking at the convening, Engr. Jaafar Dikko, Senior Adviser, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), representing Dr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, MD/CEO of the REA, highlighted the role of Nigeria's growing energy market in supporting domestic industrialisation.
"Nigeria's mineral endowment is one half of the equation. The REA and other energy-service providers bring the other half, a guaranteed and scalable domestic market."
He noted that growing demand for solar panels, batteries, inverters, meters and other clean-energy technologies could provide an anchor for local manufacturing, technology transfer, skilled jobs and stronger domestic supply chains.
Dr. Olumide Abimbola, Executive Director of APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute, situated the discussion within the wider geopolitical competition for critical minerals and global supply chains.
"Global competition for critical minerals is intensifying. Nigeria needs to understand where its leverage lies, how it engages international partners, and what it should be negotiating for beyond extraction."
He emphasised that critical minerals sit at the intersection of climate, energy, industrial policy, trade, finance, geopolitics, community development and environmental protection, and present an opportunity for Nigeria to connect its climate ambitions with its wider development objectives.
The convening featured three thematic panel sessions examining Nigeria's Minerals in a Shifting Global Order; Building Nigeria's Critical Minerals Ecosystem for Green Industrialisation; and Protecting Community and Environmental Rights in Mining Communities in Nigeria.
Across the discussions, participants highlighted the need to strengthen Nigeria's negotiating position, improve geological information and investment readiness, expand domestic processing and manufacturing, mobilise appropriate finance, support the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining, and embed community and environmental safeguards from the outset.
The convening reinforced a central message: Nigeria's critical minerals opportunity extends beyond what is extracted from the ground. Its long-term value will depend on how effectively the country converts its mineral resources into competitive industries, investment, technology, skilled jobs, stronger Nigerian businesses and lasting benefits for communities.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Vincent Maduagwu Reich
APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute gGmbH
+49 15 125790038
press@afripoli.org
For project inquiries, please contact:
Chibuikem Agbaegbu
Senior Fellow and Head, Climate Transitions Programme, APRI
cagbaegbu@afripoli.org
