Nasarawa State government has inaugurated a $400million rare earth and critical processing plant at Uke, in Karu Local Government.

Performing the groundbreaking ceremony, Governor Abdullahi Sule applauded the management team of Hasetins Commodities Limited for setting up the company.

Sule said that the establishment of a 12,000 metric tonnes capacity is one of the largest in Africa, a high-purity rare earth and critical metal hybrid processing plant for global tech, energy and defence sectors.

“I use this opportunity to congratulate you on this wonderful work that you are doing, which would bring development to our state. I am sorry that I am in South Africa today.

“So, while I congratulate you today, I want to use the opportunity to inform the good people of Nasarawa State that for the first time in Nigeria, we are going to have the rare earth critical metal processing plant that includes: platinum, uranium, chromium, and so many other metals that are coming into our state.

“This is a huge investment that we should all be proud of. I once more congratulate Hasetins Commodities Limited for coming to our state, ” the governor stated virtually.

He stressed that rare earth and critical metals like tungsten, tin, coltan, and tantalum, among others, are used to manufacture many of the machines and gadgets used in medicine today. He said lesser beam, MIRS machines, magnets, catalysts, and propelling vehicles are all made from these rare earth metals, and as such, their potential is huge.

“So, you can imagine having such a plant in Nasarawa State is something we in the state would grab with our two hands and legs, while we will continue to create the enabling environment for investors to come in,” Akabe said.

He noted that most developed places around the world today are created through an enabling environment that attracts investors.

Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hasetins Commodities Limited, Prince Jidayi Ijudigal, said the company is involved in a major investment in Nigeria to build Africa’s largest rare earth and critical metals hybrid processing plant in Uke development area of Karu Local Government area.

He pointed out that his company is spearheading a $400 million foreign direct investment in the project and that recent government reforms, including the deployment of mining marshals and streamlined licensing procedures, have improved investor confidence and influenced his decision to invest.

Prince Jidayi noted that beyond the main plant, Hasetins plans to establish regional separation facilities and empower local artisanal miners through training and equipment.

He stressed that the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, has pledged full institutional support for the project, as it is a crucial step to economic diversification and industrial growth.

On job creation, the MD/CEO Hasetins Commodities Limited said the project is expected to create over ten thousand jobs and will position Nigeria as a key player in the global critical minerals market.