By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Kaduna State government has secured over $2.1 billion, (N3.06trillion) investments from leading global mining operators through a policy of value addition, local processing, and robust public-private partnerships.
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba San, revealed this while speaking on the sidelines of the recently held 2025 G-20 Summit, in South Africa.
Unveiling the roadmap for the investment titled “Unlocking Kaduna’s Green Minerals Future,” Governor Sani said the investment pitches the northern Nigerian state as the country’s next major mining and industrial hub.
He announced that Kaduna already hosts 23 commercially viable mineral deposits, pointing out that the Kaduna Mining Development Company (KMDC) already signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with international partners covering advanced mineral mapping, project financing, gold refining and processing, and deeper integration into continental mining value chains.
The governor stated that with lithium, gold, nickel, and other green-energy minerals among its confirmed deposits, Kaduna is positioning itself at the heart of the global energy-transition supply chain at a time when demand for battery and renewable-energy metals is surging.
The new agreements, Sani said, are projected to unlock up to $3 billion in fresh investments over the next two years, create at least 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, and lift tens of thousands of households out of poverty through mining-related economic activities.
“Kaduna is open for responsible, transparent, and sustainable mining business. We are moving from mere extraction to processing and value addition so that our people and our communities benefit directly from the wealth beneath our soil,” Senator Sani said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing economic reforms, which he said have restored investor confidence and empowered subnational entities like Kaduna to compete aggressively for global capital.
The Kaduna State governor called for stronger bilateral collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa in the mining sector, urging both nations to fast-track implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocols on minerals and critical raw materials.