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Solid minerals: mining and quarrying beyond oil
Small today but a priority for diversification. Federal revenue from the sector has more than quadrupled since 2023.
Solid minerals in numbers
Latest official figures. Shares and growth are in real terms (2019 prices) unless marked nominal.
What drives the sector
Formalisation
Revoking dormant licences and pushing artisanal miners into cooperatives.
Critical minerals
Global demand for lithium and rare earths has drawn new processing investment.
Security
Illegal mining is linked to insecurity in parts of the North.
Local processing
Rules that favour processing in Nigeria rather than exporting raw ore.
Regulators and main players
Ministry of Solid Minerals Development
Policy, licensing and enforcement.
Mining Cadastre Office
Issues and manages mineral titles.
Nigerian Solid Minerals Development Company
The state vehicle for investment in the sector.
Mining Marshals
Security unit set up to protect mining sites.
What to watch
We do not publish forecasts. These are the signals we follow for this sector.
Revenue and royalties
Published by the ministry and in Federation Account reports.
Processing plants
Lithium and other processing projects coming on stream.
Licensing
New titles granted and revoked.
NBS output data
Quarterly growth for coal, metal ores and quarrying.
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