Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has presided over the signing of a $2 million supplementary lithium agreement between the Nasarawa State Government and Diamond New Energy, following his recent investment visit to China.
The signing ceremony was held at the Nasarawa State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Friday.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sule thanked the investors for their confidence in Nasarawa State and Nigeria, describing the agreement as one designed to protect the interests of both the state government and the company.
He said the agreement would ensure the continued supply of raw materials to the company’s factory while safeguarding employment opportunities for residents.
“By keeping your factory operational, we ensure that you continue to get raw material. That is the essence of this agreement, and that is the essence of us quickly obtaining that licence before somebody else will get it. Now we have achieved both aims,” the Governor said.
Sule added that the state government would maintain its interest in the company’s operations while ensuring that workers employed by the company retained their jobs.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Margaret Elayo, thanked the investors for their commitment to Nasarawa State and expressed hope that the partnership would attract more investors to the state.
The signing was witnessed by officials of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA), as well as management representatives of Diamond New Energy and Ganfeng Lithium Industry Limited.
The Governor also urged the company to maintain peaceful relations with host communities and contribute to their development, describing community support as essential to the sustainability of the investment.
He disclosed that all payments due to the state under the agreement would be made directly to Nasarawa Mining Company Limited in foreign currency, with provisions for periodic review of the agreement.
In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NASIDA, Ibrahim Abdullahi, recalled that the state government signed an exclusive mining cooperation agreement with the company in 2024, which facilitated the completion of what he described as the largest lithium processing refinery in West Africa.
He said the supplementary agreement would build on that foundation and further strengthen investor confidence in Nasarawa State.
“This supplementary agreement gives credence to these issues. It further gives confidence to the investor to do even more within Nasarawa State. A key component is that we are giving permission for the continued supply of lithium materials from the state government’s block to serve as feedstock for the refinery, so that more youths and women of Nasarawa State can be employed,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the agreement provides an immediate financial benefit to the state, with $2 million payable upon signing, while additional revenues would accrue subsequently in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
A representative of Diamond New Energy, David Siong, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding its operations in Nasarawa State, particularly through local processing of mineral resources and employment creation for host communities.
“Diamond New Energy always insists on and firmly believes in the further development of resources in Nasarawa, the deep processing of resources, creating employment for the local community, and boosting local economic development. We look forward to the support of the state government to put this cooperation into practice,” Siong said.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Isaac Danladi, presented copies of the deed of assignment between Nasarawa Mining Company Limited and Ganfeng Lithium Industry Limited.
Danladi explained that the deed transfers the mining rights and interests held by Nasarawa Mining Company within 3.5 mining cadastral units in Endo, Nasarawa Local Government Area, to Ganfeng Lithium Industry Limited, following a review of the agreement by all parties involved.
