Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has advocated for increased cooperation with Saudi Arabia in order to improve Nigeria's mining capabilities and broaden exploration endeavours.

Alake made the call while meeting with Saudi Arabia's minister of industry and mineral resources, Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, according to a statement released on Tuesday by Segun Tomori, the minister's special assistant on media.

According to Tomori, the meeting was held prior to the Future Minerals Forum, which is set for January 13–15 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Alake stated that Nigeria is emerging as Africa’s leading minerals hub under the ministry’s value-addition policy, with lithium and gold projects spearheading growth in the sector.

He highlighted key projects, including a gold refining plant in Lagos, three more gold refineries under development, and a ₦600 million lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State ready for commissioning.

The minister reiterated Nigeria's commitment to bolstering collaborations in solid minerals development while praising Saudi Arabia for expanding collaboration prospects throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe through the Future Minerals Forum.

"Saudi Arabia is strong in some areas of comparative advantage, while Nigeria is strong in others," he stated.

Advertisement "We are eager to draft agreements that will allow us to interact in a meaningful and productive way.

"Capacity building, training mining professionals, technology transfer, and especially exploration, where Saudi Arabia has shown some expertise, are priority areas."

Alake emphasised the significance of just and equitable partnerships through the FMF platform, pointing out that Nigeria's large landmass is rich in essential minerals and rare earth elements that are essential to the world economy.

After conversations following FMF 2025, he continued, a joint working group comprising members of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and the Nigerian delegation has been actively involved, and its report is prepared for presentation at the forum.

Al-Khorayef, for his part, reiterated Nigeria's role as Saudi Arabia's historic ally and acknowledged the significance of coming to a workable, practical agreement on the development of solid minerals.

Building on earlier conversations, he suggested that the joint working group create a memorandum of understanding for possible signing outside of the conference.

The Nigerian Ministry of Solid Minerals Development predicted in December 2025 that the industry would grow significantly, with revenue expected to increase from ₦38 billion in 2024 to ₦70 billion in 2025.