The hottest and most sought after mineral in Nigeria today is lithium ore. The World has descended on Nigeria seeking for lithium because the international system is headed at a very fast speed towards a lithium-dominated World economy.
All smart men are already taking up strategic positions. The war to control sources of lithium is on! But unlike the oil wars of the old, which were fought with bombs and mortars, the instrument of warfare in the ongoing battle for the control of lithium is money! Big money! Dollars!
China is intent on winning this war at all costs! The Chinese are all over Nigeria looking for lithium minerals such as spodumene, lepidolite and amblygonite.
Nigeria has one of the largest and best grade lithium deposits in the World. New deposits are being discovered every day.
Over 98% of the pegmatite veins that crisscross the length and breadth of North-Central Nigeria are heavily rich with different grades of lithium ores, including kunzite spodumene of over 9% grade!
The whole of Kwara State for example is sitting on large deposits of pink lepidolite and medium grade spodumene.
Nigeria is benefiting greatly from the current explosion in lithium trade in the form of increase in revenue generation and provision of employment opportunity which has led to drastic reduction of crimes in states like Nasarawa.
But as buyers and exporters are searching for where to buy lithium, the major challenge is that there is no central market in Nigeria where anyone with his/her money can simply go and buy the products.
The trade in Nigeria is based on personal contacts. It is not so easy for new comers. And that leads us to the topic of this essay- how to source lithium minerals in Nigeria.
FOUR EASY WAYS OF SOURCING LITHIUM MATERIALS IN NIGERIA:
- Leverage on Existing Structures, Platforms and Contacts:
The best and easiest way to gain immediate entrance to sourcing lithium ores in Nigeria is to make use of existing mineral sourcing lines.
These are local agents and companies that already have existing mineral buying centers with direct links to the hinterlands where these minerals are mined.
Most of these agents and companies have mineral warehouses that can be used as sourcing centers, plus vast contacts that can be used to source minerals and acquire mineral sites
2. Set Up Your own Mining Company:
The second method of sourcing lithium minerals in Nigeria is through setting up your own mining company to mine lithium ores yourself.
The incorporation of a company at the Corporate Affairs Commission is not a difficult one. But you still need the assistance of a local agent to locate where there are great lithium deposits and how to go about it.
3. Open a Metallic Mineral Buying Center:
Another method of sourcing lithium materials in Nigeria is to set up your own mineral buying center.
The Department of Artizanal and Small Scale Mining, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development issues a mineral license called Certificate of Mineral Buying Center for four categories of minerals: metallic, nonmetallic, precious stones and gemstones.
With a mineral buying center certificate for metallic minerals, you can trade on all metallic minerals in Nigeria such as tantalite, tin, zinc, lead, wolframite, columbite, beryllium, lithium, iron ore, chalcopyrite, etc. However, local agents are still needed to assist you obtain the license, set up the buying center and form bulk of your initial suppliers.
4. Buy Lithium Ores from the Cities:
The forth method through which a newcomer can source lithium in Nigeria is to simply buy the products from the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The only challenge here is that you buy at exorbitant prices. And you still need local agents to get things fixed for you or even figure out things.
About the Writer
Ede Greg is a Mining Entrepreneur and Lithium Mineral Sourcing Consultant. He sources Minerals for different buyers in Nigeria. His vast contacts in the Nigerian Solid Mineral Sector, access to government bureaucracy for licenses, and direct links to the hinterlands has led to the sourcing of large quantities of different minerals for different buyers. He helps companies to buy or acquire large mineral deposits for mining operations. His warehouse structures at Keffi, Nasarawa State is open to those who wish to leverage on existing mineral sourcing platforms to gain immediate access to the Nigerian mineral market. You can reach him on +2348130799304.