By Gabriel Ewepu
ABUJA- THE Nigerian Government has intensified efforts to drive green industrialisation as the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South officially handed over a landmark report to the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dr Dele Alake.
The handover at AFNIS 2026 closes a loop that began at AFNIS 2024. Since then, the Council, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, and Core International have collaborated to deliver the report. The ceremony took place at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Council serves as a collaborative platform dedicated to helping emerging economies build secure, local mineral supply chains that drive domestic industrialisation.
The report’s central finding indicated that Nigeria’s endowment of lithium, copper and bauxite aligns precisely with the minerals needed to accelerate the country’s green energy transition.
Meanwhile, receiving the report, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake noted that, “By mapping domestic demand, supply, and trade patterns, this report provides mineral-specific policy pathways to leverage Nigeria’s resources for our own green industrialisation.”
The report charts a direct line from Nigeria’s clean energy ambitions to its mineral wealth. It maps national demand for solar PV, energy storage and electric vehicles. The report also assesses current supply and trade positions, identifies the gaps and sets out strategic pathways to close it.
The Council, hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global South Centre for Clean Transportation, in partnership with the Ministry, are committing to the next phase. This includes a mineral-to-manufacturing localisation roadmap, to retain more value in-country.
Greater South-South investment partnerships, to connect Nigeria with manufacturers and investors across the Global South, and to with local stakeholders to advance green industrialization projects, will be pursued.
The Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South is a partnership between Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global South Center for Clean Transportation, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
The Council aims to deliver tailored data and analytics and facilitate south-south and international collaboration to support emerging economies and build secure mineral supply chains that anchor domestic industrialization and development goals.
It also supports governments in designing and implementing strategies that advance mineral beneficiation with forward linkages to national or regional manufacturing value chains.
