Agence France-Presse published on 6 February 2025 an article titled "Nigeria's Lithium Boom: Chinese Buyers, Local Struggles, and a Global Race" by Leslie Fauvel.
China is the world's largest refiner and consumer of lithium but must import large quantities. Consequently, most buyers in Nigeria are Chinese. In order to increase profits in Nigeria, the government wants investors to set up local processing plants. So far, only Chinese companies are doing this but engaging in questionable mining practices in the process.
