The Kaduna State Government says it is intensifying efforts to harness its vast solid mineral resources and improve environmental sustainability through new projects and reforms.

Speaking at the quarterly ministerial press briefing in Kaduna, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abubakar Buba, revealed that the state has over 70 solid minerals available for exploration, including lithium, gold, tin, coltan, wolframite, titanium, and iron.

Buba disclosed that the Kaduna Mining Development Company has acquired 18 additional mineral titles and that the government has established a lithium processing plant in Kangimi village, along the Kaduna-Jos Road. “The plant is the first of its kind in Nigeria and has a capacity of producing more than 30,000 tonnes of lithium per day,” he said.

The commissioner said the solid minerals sector is being repositioned to increase revenue generation, attract foreign investors, create jobs, and curb illegal mining activities. “Governor Uba Sani has engaged Core International Marketing and Management Ltd to develop a Mining Development Roadmap for the state,” he added.

Buba stated that the state earned N30 million from the mining sector during the last two quarters of 2024 and projects higher revenue this year. He also noted a reduction in illegal mining due to improved surveillance.

“Out of the Governor’s magnanimity, he graciously agreed that we should form cooperative societies of these illegal miners so that they will still be useful to society,” Buba said.

He explained that former illegal miners could support new investors as local guides and workers.

“They are the indigenes and they know the terrain better than each and every one of us,” he added.

On environmental policy, Buba said Kaduna has developed a State Policy on Climate Change and a Position Statement, becoming the first subnational government in Nigeria to produce both. He also highlighted initiatives aimed at reducing dependence on firewood and charcoal for cooking.

“In collaboration with the Kaduna Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, we trained and empowered 500 youths and women on briquette making,” he said.

He added that briquettes provide a cleaner energy source while helping preserve trees that serve as carbon shields.

The state also partnered with the Women’s Initiative on Sustainable Environment (WISE) to distribute clean cooking stoves to 400 women and youths. “This will help in reducing the emission of smoke that goes to the atmosphere, which equally distorts the ozone layer and exposes humanity to more risk,” Buba said.

Buba also noted that Kaduna State was recently added to the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) and cited an independent assessment which ranked Kaduna as the cleanest city in northwestern Nigeria in 2024. “This is one of the achievements that we hope to sustain. This year, we hope to be the cleanest state in Nigeria—that is our target,” he said.