Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake said the era of issuing mining licenses without accompanying processing plans is over – especially in the areas of critical minerals such as lithium.
Nigeria is determined to establish electric vehicle as well as EV battery manufacturing plants in the country, he said, adding that the country is also committed to ensuring an early completion of Africa’s largest rare and critical minerals manufacturing plants at $400m.
“We should be building green economy zones across the continent and we should prioritize local content value chains,” he said.
Saying, ‘The Time is now,’ Alake said Africa should be seen as a continent of possibilities and not a continent of problems.
He said Africa is no longer seeking charity, but looking for fair and transparent partnership founded on mutual respect.
“Africa must write its own history,” he said. “This will be an history of dignity and enterprise.”
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu spoke on the need to develop power systems built and maintained by Africans as global shift moves towards decarbonisation.
He spoke of his work to decentralize electricity governance and enable eaxh state to tailor its power need to local needs.
He also said the Ministry is building a local skills base to ensure that Nigerian engineers are able to provide answers to the challenges facing the nation in the area of power regeneration – especially as we move into an era of clean energy generation.
We really appreciate the ongoing programs