Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Nigeria

By National Minerals Information Center

Nigeria was the world's fourth-ranked producer of beryllium

Pictured: beryllium ore

Statistics and information on the mining industry in Nigeria.

Overview

In 2024, Nigeria was the world's second-ranked producer of tantalum, accounting for an estimated 16% of global production, and fourth-ranked producer of beryllium, accounting for an estimated 9.2% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included industrial minerals, gold, iron ore, lead, manganese, niobium, rare earths, tin, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium mineral concentrates. In 2024, the mining and quarrying sector contributed 6.9% to Nigeria’s gross domestic product, driven almost entirely by crude petroleum and natural gas, which together accounted for 80.6% of the sector in the last quarter of the year (the latest detailed information available). Nigeria exported cement to Cameroon and tin ores and concentrates to China, whereas mineral-related exports to the United States included fertilizers, gemstones, and nonferrous metals. Beryllium and tantalum were exported to China; however, the most recent data regarding tantalum exports to China were from 2023. 

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Nigeria is provided by Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007. The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development oversees the formulation of sector policies; the regulation and revenue generation of the solid minerals industry; and the identification, administration, and oversight of all stages of mineral exploration, mining, and mineral sales through the issuance of permits, licenses, leases, and the collection of associated fees and royalties. Most mineral production in Nigeria is carried out by private companies; critical minerals in the country are produced through both artisanal and small scale mining activities as well as by private companies.  

In 2024, Avatar New Energy Materials Co. Ltd. of China commissioned a lithium ore-processing plant in Nasarawa State. The plant, with a capacity of 4,000 metric tons per day, was the country’s first major lithium-processing facility. Also in 2024, Jupiter Lithium Ltd. of the United Kingdom, the owner of Basin Mining Ltd. and Range Mining Ltd., entered into an agreement with ReElement Technologies Corp. of the United States to develop a large‑scale lithium project covering a 442 square kilometer lithium rich area. The project was expected to transition from contract mining to full large‑scale operations, with a new spodumene concentrator designed to produce 55,000 metric tons per year (t/yr) of concentrates, increasing to 167,000 t/yr within 2 years; first production was expected in early 2025. In 2024, columbite-tantalite production in Nigeria was an estimated 1,900 metric tons (t) compared with 1,871 t in 2023. In May, Xi’an Dasen Mining Machinery & Equipment Co. Ltd. of China reported progress on a newly established tantalum-tin mining project in Nigeria. The company indicated that the project was advancing under a full EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) scope, including exploration, sampling, site selection and construction, equipment installation, and commissioning. The project would include an ore processing line with a capacity of about 100 metric tons per hour. 

 

2024 Report

Full data release with tables here.

In 2024, Nigeria was the world's second-ranked producer of tantalum, accounting for an estimated 16% of global production, and fourth-ranked producer of beryllium, accounting for an estimated 9.2% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included industrial minerals, gold, iron ore, lead, manganese, niobium, rare earths, tin, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium mineral concentrates. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). In 2024, the mining and quarrying sector contributed 6.9% to Nigeria’s gross domestic product, driven almost entirely by crude petroleum and natural gas, which, in the last quarter of the year, accounted for 80.6% of the sector. Nigeria exported cement to Cameroon and tin ores and concentrates to China, whereas mineral-related exports to the United States included fertilizers, gemstones, and nonferrous metals. Beryllium and tantalum were exported to China, however the most recent data regarding tantalum export to China is from 2023 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2025a; 2025b, p. 8; U.S. Census Bureau, 2025; Friedline, 2026; Hartingh, 2026; World Bank, The, 2026). 

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Nigeria is provided by the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007. The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development oversees the formulation of sector policies; the regulation and revenue generation of the solid minerals industry; and the identification, administration, and oversight of all stages of mineral exploration, mining, and mineral sales through the issuance of permits, licenses, leases, and the collection of associated fees and royalties. Most mineral production in Nigeria is carried out by private companies; critical minerals in the country are produced through both artisanal and small scale mining activities as well as by private companies. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Africa and the Middle East, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/afric… (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2007, p. 479; Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, 2026). 

 

Commodity Review 

Beryllium.—In 2024, beryl production in Nigeria was estimated at 1,000 metric tons (t). In July, the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development introduced a revised royalty regime that explicitly set a 5% royalty rate for beryllium; similar adjustments were applied to other minerals. The changes were part of a broader effort to standardize fiscal terms across the mineral industry (Production table; Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, 2024, p. 3). 

Lithium—In 2024, Avatar New Energy Materials Co. Ltd. of China commissioned a lithium ore-processing plant in Nasarawa State. The plant, with a capacity of 4,000 metric tons per day, was the country’s first major lithium-processing facility. Also in 2024, Jupiter Lithium Ltd. of the United Kingdom, the owner Basin Mining Ltd. and Range Mining Ltd., entered into an agreement with ReElement Technologies Corp. of the United States to develop a large‑scale lithium project covering a 442 square kilometer lithium rich area. The project was expected to transition from contract mining to full large‑scale operations, with a new spodumene concentrator designed to produce 55,000 metric tons per year (t/yr) of concentrates, increasing to 167,000 t/yr within 2 years; first production was expected in early 2025. Nigeria’s lithium resources occur mainly in widespread lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite deposits, located primarily in Nasarawa, Kaduna, Oyo, and Kogi States (Daily Trust Media, 2024; Nasarawa State Government, 2024; Isa and others, 2024, p. 531). 

Niobium (Columbium) and Tantalum.—In 2024, columbite-tantalite production in Nigeria was an estimated 1,900 t compared with 1,871 t in 2023. In May, Xi’an Dasen Mining Machinery and Equipment Co., Ltd. of China reported progress on a newly established tantalum-tin mining project in Nigeria. The company indicated that the project was advancing under a full EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) scope, including exploration, sampling, site selection and construction, equipment installation, and commissioning. The project would include a processing line with a capacity of about 100 metric tons per hour (Dasen Mining Machinery and Equipment Co., Ltd., 2024). 

 

Production table

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Table includes data available through March 19, 2026. All data are reported unless otherwise noted. Estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits. In addition to the commodities listed, bitumen, secondary copper, diamond, emerald, ilmenite, lime, rolled-steel products, ruby, rutile, salt, and soda ash may have been produced, but available information was inadequate to make reliable estimates of output.
Commodity 20202021202220232024
Barite39011,56011,1701301100e1
Bentonite80e60e40e3030e
Beryl205219781,000e
Cement, hydraulic26,200,00028,000,000e29,000,000e28,000,000e30,000,000e
Clays, unspecified1,904,1164,579,3921,823,7002,140,4302,300,000e
Feldspar31,37531,25637,25076,57577,000e
Fluorspar, metallurgical grade26,71739,0871272,3672,400e
Gemstones, amethyst (kilograms)5001,4511,266565570e
Gemstones, garnet (kilograms)3,200e360210e7070e
Gemstones, kunzite (kilograms)54e108e110e300e300e
Gemstones, sapphire (kilograms)6,000e9,000e12,000e15,02315,000e
Gemstones, topaz (kilograms)2,0037,5087484,5204,500e
Gemstones, tourmaline (kilograms)17,000e20,000e48,73626,54127,000e
Gold, mine, Au content (kilograms)400263423,51022,70022,6462
Gypsum, crude43,77621,346183,62845,23545,000e
Iron ore, mine1283,0782838,8968,900e
Iron ore, mine, Fe content801,9001805,5005,500e
Kaolin14,34641,02070,39629,84330,000e
Lead, mine, Pb content20,000e10,000e15,000e13,000e11,000e
Lead, refinery, secondary12,000e25,00036,00032,000e32,000e
Lithium, mine, ore100e13322,72190,31090,000e
Manganese, mine, ore20,00057,39256,0143,6003,600e
Manganese, mine, ore, Mn content7,200e21,000e20,000e1,300e1,300e
Mica1502,67215145150e
Niobium and tantalum, mine, concentrates, columbite-tantalite (kilograms)509,00021,915,00021,497,00021,871,00021,900,000e2
Niobium, mine, concentrates, columbite-tantalite, Nb content35e130e100e130e130e
Nitrogen, ammonia, N content710,0001,500,000e2,000,000e2,100,000e2,000,000e
Nitrogen, urea, N content1,435,1932,701,2793,458,7403,655,8604,177,493
Rare earths, mine, mineral concentrates, Oxide content1103001,300e1,400e1,400e
Rare earths, mine, monazite concentrates210590e2,5352,6202,600e
Raw steel590,000e590,000e600,000e1,190,000e1,200,000e
Sand and gravel, construction, sand3,100,000e3,918,5995,041,10612,343,13613,000,000e
Sand and gravel, industrial, sand, silica6,4893,8284,000e4,000e4,000e
Stone, crushed, granite15,543,34122,779,68316,497,43719,386,34721,000,000e
Stone, crushed, limestone34,866,27936,941,85937,260,77849,057,06453,000,000e
Stone, crushed, marble70,80538,04417,57451,48555,000e
Stone, crushed, marl32,00000e0e0e
Stone, crushed, shale1,073,2851,152,0492,085,9542,067,2492,200,000e
Stone, dimension, granite1,9496,26412,43020,45722,000e
Stone, size and shape unspecified, basalt4,900e4,4405,17319,21121,000e
Stone, size and shape unspecified, dolomite47,49342,96317,78280,26286,000e
Stone, size and shape unspecified, laterite ore5,647,3735,982,5996,091,9005,103,4515,500,000e
Stone, size and shape unspecified, sandstone65e00e0e0e
Talc and related materials, talc10,5013,5042,77764,4002,800e
Tantalum, mine, concentrates, columbite-tantalite, Ta content100e380e380e370e390e
Tin, mine, concentrates, cassiterite1,7032,7001,7054,6434,600e
Tin, mine, concentrates, cassiterite, Sn content1,100e1,800e1,100e3,100e3,100e
Titanium, concentrates, ilmenite003,06225,63726,000e
Tungsten, mine, concentrates, wolframite600e2135e50125e
Tungsten, mine, W content290e10e17e24e75e
Zinc, mine, concentrates, wolframite, Zn content27,000e33,000e30,000e25,000e30,000e
Zirconium, zircon70021,82223,99525,000e212,000e2
e Estimated.
1 Considerably more barite is produced but it is considered to be commercially unusable.
2 Reported exports.
 
 

References Cited 

  • Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, 2024, New rates regime of the Ministry’s departments and agencies announced by the Honorable Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr. Dele Alake on Thursday July 4, 2024 during the press briefing: Abuja, Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, July 4, 8 p. (Accessed March 27, 2026, at https://msmd.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NEW-ROYALTY-RATES-4TH-JU….)  
  • Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, 2026, The Ministry overview and functions: Abuja, Nigeria, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. (Accessed May 29, 2026, at https://msmd.gov.ng/the-ministry/.) 
  • Friedline, C.A., 2026, Tantalum: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 186–187. 
  • Hartingh, A.M., 2026, Beryllium: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 52–53. 
  • Isa, I., Ajaka, E.O., Adebayo, A.O., Alabi, O.O., 2024, The future of Nigeria’s lithium resources—Industrial applications and prospects: International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering, Management & Applied Science (IJLTEMAS), v. XIV, no. XI, December 8, p. 530–538. (Accessed May 29, 2026, at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398473888_The_Future_of_Nigeri….) 
  • National Bureau of Statistics, 2025a, Foreign trade in goods statistics [Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, 2024]:  

 

Publications

Reports: 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 

Tables: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 | 2020-21 Tables-only release 

 

 

Africa and the Middle East Homepage

Africa and the Middle East Homepage

Commodity Statistics Homepage

Commodity Statistics Homepage

Was this page helpful?