Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, Amb. Abdulrahman Danbazau, has called for stronger Nigeria-China cooperation in lithium battery manufacturing, urging Chinese investors to move beyond mineral processing to establishing production facilities in Nigeria.
Mr Dambazau made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria during the African Mainstream Media Workshop organised by the International Department of the Communist Party of China in Beijing.
The ambassador said Nigeria’s abundant deposits of critical minerals, including lithium, provided an opportunity for the country to transition from a raw material exporter to a manufacturing hub.
He said the Federal Government wascommitted to ensuring that Nigeria derived greater value from its natural resources through local processing and manufacturing.
Mr Dambazau dislosed that the Nigerian government was encouraging Chinese companies operating in the country to expand their activities beyond processing minerals to producing finished products.
“What we are encouraging the Chinese investors to do is to make Nigeria the hub of manufacturing of batteries in Africa, so that not just Africa, even from Europe, they should come to Nigeria to purchase lithium batteries,” he said.
He also added that developing a battery manufacturing industry would create jobs, promote technology transfer and support Nigeria’s industrialisation drive, particularly for its youthful population.
According to him, Nigeria has the resources required for such an industrial push, while China has the technology and manufacturing experience that can support the country’s development objectives.
The envoy said the partnership would also contribute to reducing poverty by creating employment opportunities and expanding economic activities.
He noted that Nigeria’s engagement with China was anchored on existing frameworks, including the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between both countries and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC.
Mr Dambazau added that Nigeria was also seeking to maximise its relationship with China by promoting cooperation in priority areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, science and technology.
He stressed that partnerships must be structured in a way that protected Nigeria’s interests while promoting shared benefits between both countries.
The ambassador said Nigeria would continue to engage Chinese investors and stakeholders to support economic transformation and strengthen bilateral ties.