Nigeria’s solid minerals sector is defined by governance failure and perennial insecurity

From the gold-rich zones of Zamfara to the lithium deposits found in Nasarawa and the abundant tin and columbite across the Middle Belt, Nigeria possesses some of Africa’s most strategically valuable mineral resources. Ironically, rather than contributing to local and national development, communities inhabiting many of these mineral-rich areas often suffer from poverty, violence, displacement, and environmental degradation. In several parts of the country, mining activities have become associated more with insecurity and illegal networks than