A Nigerian government delegation has inspected the site of a planned $400 million rare earth processing facility in Nasarawa State, a project that could strengthen the country's ambitions 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 (MSMD), 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 so far met key regulatory expectations, particularly in relation to environmental planning and safety measures. The delegation urged the company to maintain compliance standards as construction progresses.
"The commitment that we have seen so far is different from the narrative of some others who simply extract minerals and leave," said Oladehinde Oladusi, a deputy director at the ministry who represented the Director of Mines Environmental Compliance during the visit.
