Lithium mining in the northern part of Nigeria runs contrary to the concept of just transition to clean energy but seems to follow the same trajectory in the Niger Delta, which enriches the multinationals to the detriment of the host communities.
This was the outcome of a webinar entitled ‘Voices from Mining Communities: Exploring the Complexities of Lithium Mining in the Just Transition Discourse’ organised by Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF), Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and Global Alliance for Incinerators Alternative (GAIA) members in Nigeria.
The discourse addressed the recent commissioning of a lithium plant in Nasarawa State, and the misinterpretation of just transition as the expansion of mining sites in Africa.
Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, in his presentation, ‘Why Nigeria is Heading on the Path of Doom’, lamented the exclusion of communities bearing solid minerals such as lithium and gold in discussions about mineral extraction in their areas.
Asserting that solid mineral extraction in Africa is not following the just path, he described natural resources in the continent as a curse.
“Is lithium mining in Nigeria following the just path? The answer is no. Like in Zimbabwe and elsewhere on the continent, if African governments fail to ensure that communities where lithium is mined benefit from lithium extraction and are part of the governance structure, just like the oil curse, we will also start experiencing the lithium curse,” he added.
The forum lamented the poor regulation of solid mineral extraction in Africa and other parts of the global south, who suffer to the benefit of the global north.
North Africa Outreach Coordinator of GAIA Africa, Kenza Elazkem, said beyond the issue of poor regulations in Africa, critical minerals like lithium were only critical to the global north, which will rather extract them from the global south where regulations are weak.
According to her, due to the foregoing, GAIA is promoting campaigns to reject products designed for waste and reduce the use of critical minerals among others.
The webinar facilitated by the Coordinator, Africa Coal Network, Marina Agortimevor, featured stories from mining communities in Nasarawa (Nigeria) and Nwange (Zimbabwe), as well as discussions on the true essence of a just transition and sustainable renewable energy practices without further mining.
Other speakers included Executive Director of CODAF, Richard Benin, who argued that there was nothing like sustainable mining; representative of GAIA members in Nigeria, Dr. Leslie Adogame; and Co-founder of CODAF, Maimoni Ubrei-Joe.
While Board Member, RDI, Tobias Lengs Dapam, spoke on ‘Pits of Hell in Nasarawa State’; Executive Director of Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), Farai Maguwu, spoke on ‘Pits of Hell in Nwange, Zimbabwe’; and North Africa Coordinator, GAIA Africa, Kenza Elazkem, spoke on ‘Transition to Renewable Energies (EV, Solar, Wind) Without Digging More Pits’.
