The Federal Government has announced the discovery of a world-class polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State containing significant deposits of platinum group metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium and rare earth elements.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed this at the ‘African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit 2026’ in Abuja, describing it as one of the most important mining discoveries in recent years.
According to Alake, the discovery was made by a private company and verified by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, positioning Nigeria as an emerging destination for strategic minerals used in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
The Minister said the development reflects ongoing reforms aimed at attracting investment, boosting local mineral processing and reducing the export of raw minerals. He revealed that over 3,000 dormant mining licences had been revoked, while investments worth billions of dollars have flowed into lithium processing, gold refining and steel projects across the country. Alake also noted that mining sector revenue increased from about ₦6 billion before the current administration to over ₦70 billion by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, Steron Mining and Company Limited announced estimated lithium reserves of 3.3 million metric tonnes at its Abuja mining site. The firm’s Managing Director, Abu Omar, said the company is processing lithium locally in line with government value-addition policies, while ongoing exploration has identified total mineral resources of about 94.8 million metric tonnes.
