Last Wednesday, in Guzua, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) organised a one day capacity building programme on the development of the Lithium Value Chain on Export Competiveness in Zamfara State.
The programme aimed at strenghtening the stakeholder’s capacity on lithium value chain addition, quality standards and control, export procedures and market opportunities in line with the councils mandate to promote Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
The event which was co-facilitated by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bank of Industry(BOI) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), with over 63 participants in attendant drawn from members of the Association of Solid Minerals Miners and Marketers of Nigeria (ASMMON) and Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN).
Declaring the programme open, Zamfara Commissioner for Environmental and Natural Resources, Alhaji Abdurrahman Tumbido, praised the NEPC for organising the programme, adding that, it came at the right time when the state recently unveiled a 200 million Dollar Lithium Mining and Processing plant in Boko, Zurmi Local Government Area”. stating that the project was driven by the growing global demand for lithium products.
He assured of the state government’s commitments to supporting initiatives that promote responsible mineral development, environmental stewardship, and inclusive economic growth and development of the lithium value chain for export competitiveness.
In a keynote address, the Executive Director and CEO, NEPC Mrs Nonye Ayeni stated that the development of Lithium value chain for export competitiveness was central to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda, industrial transformation aspirations and export expansion objectives.
Ayeni noted that Nigeria and Zamfara in particular was endowed with commercially significant deposits.
“Lithium in its raw form holds limited value, its true worth is unlocked through processing into derivatives such as lithium chemicals,
“These derivatives”, she said “are the essential inputs for lithium-iron batteries that power electric vehicles smartphones, laptops and grid-scale energy storage systems.
Presenting his goodwill message at the event, the National President of the Association of Solid Minerals Miners and Marketers of Nigeria (ASMMON), Dr. Vincent Mkpu commended the commitment of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in their efforts to strengthen the Nigeria non-oil export sector of the economy and the increasing growth of solid minerals value chain, particularly the Lithium ore.
Represented at the occasion by the ASMMMON State Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Salihu maintained that the Association believed and strongly recommended that capacity building, formalization of Artisanal Miners and Small Scale Mining Operators, Cluster Development and Export Compliance Education were essential steps toward positioning Nigeria as a reliable suppliers of high quality minerals globally, especially Lithium Ore products, therefore such programs provided a platform for miners, exporters, regulators and investors to align on global best practices and export readiness for the realization of the expected goals.
“Zamfara”, he said, “is one of the State in Nigeria that is heavily endowed with huge deposit of high grade Lithium ore, located across the Fourteen Local Government Area of the State”.
ASMMON National President, therefore extoled the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, His Excellency, Alhaji Dauda Lawal for his gallant strides in establishig a Lithium Mining and Processing plant which had provided over Two Thousand Direct Jobs in the State.
He called on other northern state governors to emulate such examplary strides in order to reduce banditary in the region.
