Nigeria has commissioned a new lithium mining and processing plant in Zamfara State, marking a significant expansion of the country's industrial capacity in the critical minerals sector.

The facility, valued at $200 million, was officially opened by Governor Bello Matawalle, signaling continued state-level investment in the nation's mineral wealth.

The development comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a separate, larger lithium processing facility in Nasarawa State.

That plant, described by the federal government as the largest of its kind in West Africa, boasts a daily processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes.

The rapid succession of these openings underscores a coordinated national effort to move beyond raw ore extraction toward domestic value addition.

Lithium is a key component in the production of batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.