Alake woos Qatari investors, promises adequate data for lithium exploration

Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, says the federal government will provide comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of energy mineral lithium available at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) for businesses interested in establishing companies in the country.

Alake spoke on Saturday at a meeting with Qatari businessmen in Doha, Qatar, according to a statement by Kehinde Bamigbetan, the minister’s special adviser.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the Arab country, was attended by Sheikh Al Jouneid, chief executive officer (CEO) of ETCC Qatar, and Aminu Dahiru, chairman of Asdub Oil and Gas.

Responding to enquiries on the quality of Nigerian lithium by Sheikh Shahid Jawad, a Qatari business mogul, the Alake said mineral exploration initiated by the federal government has identified locations where lithium occurs in commercial quantities in high grades.

The minister said during a visit to Australia, he was presented with samples of rock composites from Nigeria with high-grade lithium content confirmed by laboratory analysis.

He said it showed that the quality of Nigerian lithium has been recognised by the global mining sector. 

Alake also encouraged Qatari businessmen to visit the country and witness the immense opportunities in mining, adding that the federal government has put in place generous, investor-friendly policies to facilitate business.

Also speaking at the event, Fatimah Shinkafi, executive secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, urged investors to explore opportunities in mining infrastructures.

Shinkafi, who cited the example of Vale, a mining company in Brazil that invested in trains to ease the transportation of minerals from the mines to the processing towns, said while the government would continue to provide transportation facilities to the mines, mining firms that recognise the significance of transportation to their future cost control would invest wisely by supplementing government’s efforts.

On his part, Muhammed Santuraki, vice-chairman of the Qatar-Nigerian Chamber of Business, said the chamber was formed in 2017 to build business relations between both countries.

Santuraki recalled a recent visit to a gold mine in Nasarawa state and affirmed the existence of good roads for the haulage of minerals to the ports.