Federal Govt Assures Qatari Businessmen Of High Grade Nigerian Lithium

Minister of solid minerals development, Dr. Oladele Alake, has told Qatari businessmen that Nigeria had identified locations where lithium occurs in commercial quantity and in high grades.

In a statement by Kehinde Bamigbetan, special adviser to the minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Alake made this disclosure in Doha, Qatar, weekend, while responding to enquiries on the quality of Nigerian lithium by Qatari business mogul, Sheikh Shahid Jawad, at a meeting held at the prestigious Sheraton Doha, with Qatari businessmen on the sidelines of the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Arab country.

He also gave assurance of the availability of comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of Lithium at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency for businesses interested in establishing lithium companies in Nigeria.

Dr Alake recalled that on a visit to Australia, he was presented with samples of rock composites from Nigeria with high grade lithium content confirmed by laboratory analysis which showed that the quality of Nigerian lithium had been recognised by the global mining sector.

Encouraging Qatari businessmen to visit the country and witness the immense opportunities in mining, Alake said the Nigerian government had put in place generous and investor-friendly policies to facilitate business.

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

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

Recalling a recent visit to a gold mine in Nasarawa State, Santuraki observed the existence of good roads for the haulage of minerals to the ports.

Other businessmen at the top-level meeting were Sheikh El Jouneid, chief executive officer, ETCC Qatar, and Aminu Dahiru, chairman, Asdub Oil & Gas.