UK to build $5m battery recycling company in Ogun

Richard Montgomery, the British high commissioner in Nigeria, says a battery recycling company will be established in Ogun state.

Montgomery spoke when he led some officials of the commission on a courtesy visit to Dapo Abiodun, Ogun state governor, in Abeokuta.

The envoy said when operational, the company would be the best in Africa, noting that the investment would be about $5 million.

He said the commission wants Ogun “to be the place where this industry can grow”.

“My brief visit to this state is about the deal put together for recycling, which is moving out of Lagos State and establishing a new plant here for recycling e-waste,” Montgomery said.

“The Ogun Invest and the Commissioner for Lands are working to ensure the deal comes off the line, and I am glad to be here to join the final conversation. I think that will bring new technology and new jobs to the State.

“The battery we will be manufacturing in Ogun State will be the first of its kind in Africa, and we will make the State the leader in battery recycling in Africa.

“For the first time, it is now possible to recycle the cell back into chemical form in Africa and export the black mass, which contains the minerals inside the battery, to make new batteries.

“It is really exciting that we received support from Ogun Invest, and officials from the Bureau of Lands confirmed the Certificate of Occupation.”

Montgomery said the visit was partly to review the progress made in the nation and how the state has fared in the areas of infrastructure and creating a conducive environment for businesses.

According to the envoy, the British International Investment, a financial development institution, has invested in one of the major cashew processing and export companies in the state, adding that his country is ready to offer technical assistance to the state’s mass transit system, which is currently being test-run.

Responding, Abiodun said Ogun has a large expanse of land suitable for the cultivation of food and cash crops, as well as large deposits of limestone and other minerals.

He said the state is home to numerous manufacturing companies and has the “biggest industrial park” due to gas pipelines from the Niger Delta that transverse the length and breadth of the state.

Abiodun said the deliberate provision of road infrastructure and other amenities was to attract more investments to impact the lives of the people.