Nigeria and US sign critical minerals deal

Nigeria and the US have signed an agreement to deepen co-operation on critical minerals, with Nigeria seeking greater investment, local processing, technology transfer and job creation. Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake signed for Nigeria, while Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signed for the US at Nigeria House in New York on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly. Alake said Nigeria would not accept arrangements that left it supplying raw minerals while others created the value, reports People's Gazette Nigeria. He said the agreement would promote cooperation across the mineral value chain, including geological data, exploration, processing, infrastructure and technical capacity. Alake said Nigeria wanted its mineral resources to generate industries, skills, jobs and investment, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s economic diversification and industrialisation agenda. He said the framework’s success would be measured by projects developed, facilities built, and skills transferred to Nigerians. Landau described the agreement as a sign of deepening relations between Nigeria and the US beyond the minerals sector. He said the US could provide capital, technical expertise and investment while respecting Nigeria’s sovereignty over its natural resources. The agreement followed months of engagements between Nigerian and US officials on mining and critical minerals cooperation. Nigeria has been promoting local processing to reduce dependence on raw mineral exports and increase domestic value addition.