VP Shettima Commissions $250M Lithium Refinery in Nigeria

On 3 July 2026, on behalf of Nigeria’s President Ahmed Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima officially commissioned the Diamond New Energy #lithium mining and processing plant in Endo, Nasarawa State, in Central Nigeria, adjoining the capital Abuja.

The plant has a processing capacity of 6,000 tonnes daily by converting spodumene ore into lithium sulfate. The project necessitated an investment of USD 250 million. To bring the project to fruition, CanMax and Jiuling Lithium provided technical and financial assistance in exchange for a controlling stake in the venture.

The Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources Princess Margaret Elay, and traditional local chiefs attended the ceremony.

“What changes a nation is the deliberate movement from extraction to processing, from potential to production, from raw materials to value-added goods, and from isolated investments to integrated industrial ecosystems.”

Nigeria VP Kashim Shettima

Mr YU Chongqiang represented Jiuling and CanMax at the ceremony and thanked the local and federal governments for their investment-friendly policies. He reiterated his company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria and revealed plans to upgrade the processing capacity to exceed 8,000 tonnes daily in the near future.