WED JAN 14 2026-theGBJournal| Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake on Tuesday, met with the Saudi Arabian Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, ahead of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.
The Future Minerals Forum is a government-led mineral platform, which has become the leading gathering bringing together industry leaders, experts, governments, academia, and stakeholders to drive mineral resilience and promote responsible supply.
Mr Alake told his Saudi counterpart he is encouraged by how far Nigeria has come in the solid minerals sector.
Alake said, ”We are moving beyond exporting raw materials. We now have a high-purity gold refinery operating in Lagos, three more in development, and a 600 million dollar lithium processing plant in Nasarawa ready for commissioning.
These projects are helping position Nigeria as a serious player in the minerals needed for the global energy transition.”
He commended Saudi Arabia for using the forum to connect countries across regions and made it clear that Nigeria wants to deepen this partnership.
”There are areas where they have strong expertise and others where we do, and I believe we can work together on training, technology transfer, and mineral exploration.”
Alake also stressed that mineral traceability, environmental and social standards, and noted that proper mine rehabilitation must be at the heart of any collaboration if Nigeria want to build lasting investor confidence.
Following last year’s forum, Nigerian and Saudi Arabia set up a joint working group with the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, and its report is now ready.
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