Niger State has allocated 500 hectares of land to Abuja Steel Mills Limited, a subsidiary of Raj Gupta’s African Industries Group (AIG), for the construction of what the company says could become sub-Saharan Africa’s largest solar-powered steel manufacturing facility, alongside a new industrial park.
The project will combine large-scale steel manufacturing with a dedicated solar plant, aiming to reduce reliance on Nigeria’s unreliable electricity grid. This initiative aligns with the state’s broader plan to become a key industrial corridor, supported by additional land, gas pipeline access, and hydro assets.
Officials highlight the role of steel and renewable energy investments in achieving Nigeria’s goal of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030. The project will combine a large-scale steel manufacturing complex with a dedicated solar power plant and the proposed AIG Industrial Park, reflecting Nigeria’s growing push to reduce manufacturers’ dependence on the country’s unreliable electricity grid.
Chairman of African Industries Group, Raj Gupta, described the land allocation as historic, saying the solar installation could become the largest in Nigeria and potentially the biggest supporting a steel operation anywhere in West Africa or sub-Saharan Africa.
The governor announced plans to gazette an additional 200,000 hectares of industrial land stretching toward Kaduna State, leveraging the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, abundant solar resources and the state’s hydropower assets, including the Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro and Zungeru dams.
Steel Development Minister Shuaibu Audu praised African Industries for growing from a modest steel business into one of West Africa’s largest producers, employing around 10,000 people across its operations. He linked the investment to the federal government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, with steel expected to play a central role.
Abuja Steel Mills, the African Industries subsidiary receiving the land, is expanding into utility-scale solar as it seeks to power steel production with renewable energy instead of relying on Nigeria’s unreliable grid and costly diesel generators.
