Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has called for greater investment in local mineral processing across Africa, declaring that the continent must move beyond exporting raw materials and focus on value addition to drive economic growth and industrialisation.
Speaking at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) 2026 in Abuja on Thursday, Governor Sule said Nasarawa State had deliberately pursued policies to ensure that mining companies process minerals locally rather than merely extract and export them.
The governor, who described Nasarawa as the “Home of Solid Minerals,” said the state began implementing the policy shortly after he assumed office in 2019, despite initial resistance from some stakeholders.
“Instead of allowing mining companies to simply extract our resources and leave, we insisted that they carry out at least the first stage of processing within Nasarawa State,” he said.
According to him, the policy has yielded significant results, with Nasarawa now hosting the largest and second-largest lithium processing plants in Nigeria.
Sule specifically commended Avatar New Energy, the operator of the country’s largest lithium processing facility, for its commitment to local value addition and for participating in the summit.
He challenged the company to further expand its investments within the state by establishing additional processing facilities.
The governor attributed the growing success of Nigeria’s mining sector to the alignment between his administration’s vision and the reforms being implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration through the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
He praised the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, for championing policies that encourage local beneficiation and sustainable mining practices.
Sule also highlighted a series of reforms introduced by his administration to attract investors and improve confidence in the mining sector.
Drawing from his experience as a former Group Managing Director of the Dangote Group, where he helped oversee investments across 14 African countries, the governor stressed that investor confidence remains the most critical factor in attracting capital.
“One thing every investor looks for is confidence—the assurance that their investment is safe. That is exactly what we have sought to provide in Nasarawa State,” he said.
He noted that the state government has strengthened collaboration with federal authorities, promoted responsible mining practices, and established mechanisms to ensure that investors, the government, and host communities all benefit from mining activities.