A Nigerian government delegation has inspected the site of a planned $400 million rare earth processing facility in Nasarawa State, a project aimed at strengthening the country’s drive to move beyond raw mineral exports and expand domestic processing capacity.
The facility, being developed by indigenous mining company Hasetins Commodities Limited in Uke, is expected to add 12,000 tonnes of annual processing capacity to the company’s existing operations, increasing total output to 18,000 tonnes per year.
Officials from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, including Director of Mining Inspectorate Ganiyu Imam and representatives from the ministry’s environmental compliance department, visited the project site to assess compliance with regulatory and environmental requirements.
According to ministry officials, the project has met key regulatory expectations, particularly in environmental planning and safety measures. The delegation urged the company to maintain compliance standards as construction progresses.
Oladehinde Oladusi, a deputy director at the ministry who represented the Director of Mines Environmental Compliance during the visit, said the company had completed environmental and social impact assessments and was deploying technologies designed to reduce environmental risks associated with mineral processing.
He also encouraged the company to maintain strong engagement with host communities through community development agreements to minimise future disputes.
The project comes as Nigeria seeks to capture more value from its mineral resources by developing local processing and refining capabilities rather than exporting raw materials. Rare earth elements and other critical minerals are increasingly important to global supply chains because of their use in electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, electronics and defence applications.
Hasetins Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Prince Jidayi, said the facility would process rare earth minerals as well as other critical metals, including tantalum, tungsten and tin.
“For decades, the narrative has been one of raw extraction and immediate export. This plant will process rare earth metals and other critical minerals in-country,” Jidayi said.
He added that the company intends to deploy closed-loop processing technologies aimed at reducing environmental impacts and managing mining waste responsibly.
Jidayi said the company has also constructed regional and satellite processing centres to help integrate artisanal and small-scale miners into a more formal supply chain, with plans to provide safety training, equipment support and structured offtake arrangements.
Nigeria has intensified efforts to attract investment into its solid minerals sector as it seeks to diversify the economy away from oil dependence. If completed as planned, the Nasarawa facility would rank among the largest rare earth processing investments currently underway in the country.
