Nigeria opens $250M lithium processing plant

Nigeria opened a $250 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa state, built by Chinese companies Jiuling and Canmax. The facility will process 3 million metric tons of lithium ore annually, part of a broader African effort to add value to raw materials. Chinese firms have invested $1.3 billion in Nigeria's lithium processing capacity from 2023 to 2025, aiming to support the global electric vehicle battery market.