Economy
Nigeria to Launch $800m Lithium Processing Plants
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is planning to launch four lithium processing plants worth more than $800 million before the end of 2025, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, has disclosed.
He noted that $600 million lithium processing factories near Kaduna and Niger are about to be commissioned while another $200 million refinery near Abuja is nearly ready.
He added that two more plants are coming online in Nasarawa before the third quarter of this year.
Lithium is a solid material that has several uses across devices and health. It is used in smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, metal alloys, high-temperature glass, and ceramics.
“When we came into office, Nigeria’s solid minerals sector was underperforming. In 2023, it generated just N6 billion in revenue. By the end of 2024, that number had grown to N38 billion. That kind of turnaround tells you something is working. One of the first things we did was tighten the licensing process.
“We made it clear that no one gets a mining license without showing a real plan for local processing. Exporting raw minerals without adding value here at home wasn’t helping our economy, and we had to stop that. Since then, we’ve seen real results of over $800 million in processing investments last year alone.
“We’ve got a $600 million lithium processing plant near Kaduna and Niger about to be commissioned. Another $200 million refinery near Abuja is nearly ready. Two more plants are coming online in Nasarawa before the third quarter of this year,” he wrote.
Mr Alake said the projects will create more jobs, technology, and a stronger local economy.
“Exploration has also been a priority. When we took office, Nigeria had only spent $2 million on mineral exploration. By comparison, Côte d’Ivoire had spent $148 million, and South Africa more than $300 million. No serious investor takes you seriously without credible geological data.”
He said the Ministry had secured N1 trillion for mineral exploration to make the sector globally competitive.
“That’s why this year, we’ve secured N1 trillion specifically for mineral exploration to build the foundation for a globally competitive sector. We’re also confronting illegal mining head-on. Over 300 arrests were made last year, with 150 prosecutions ongoing and several convictions already secured, including foreign nationals.
“We’re also supporting local miners by formalising their operations. So far, over 250 cooperatives have been established to help small-scale miners get access to finance and share in the revenue.”
“Nigeria now chairs the African Mineral Strategy Group, a new bloc focused on local value addition and fairer mineral trade.”
He tied the sector’s achievements to a direct result of the vision laid out by President Bola Tinubu, adding that investor interest is surging.
“Just this quarter, the Mining Cadastral Office received over 10,000 applications. That kind of momentum didn’t exist before. It’s a sign that our reforms are working. We’ve still got work to do, but the direction is clear.
“We’re turning Nigeria’s mineral wealth into real economic value for our people, our industries, and our future,” he said.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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