Source: Al Circle
Nigeria is considering enhancing industrial collaborations with the European Union to advance the development of its aluminium, mineral and steel industries through investment, technology transfer and infrastructure reinforcement. Nigeria’s Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, urged for stronger EU partnerships to help in transforming the country’s raw material resource base into a value-added industrial centre.
Minister Audu raised this proposition while speaking at the Nigeria–German Economic Forum in Dortmund, Germany, on March 3, 2026. He highlighted that the initiative aligns with Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to shift Nigeria’s economy away from raw material exports towards domestic processing and manufacturing.
Audu highlighted Nigeria’s substantial mineral endowment, consisting of limestone deposits, lithium, manganese, copper, lead-zinc, rare-earth elements, as well as over three billion tonnes of iron ore. He emphasised that these resources would provide a strong foundation for expanding local industry while backing a secure raw-material supply to European markets.
To strengthen the sector, Audu invited collaboration with European partners in several priority areas, including aluminium and steel manufacturing, mineral processing and beneficiation, development of enabling infrastructure such as power, rail, gas and ports, as well as skills development and technology transfer.
The minister was welcomed at the forum by Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal, International and European Affairs, and Alexander Kalouti, Lord Mayor of Dortmund, reflecting growing interest in expanding Nigeria–EU industrial engagement.
With a population nearing 250 million and a young workforce, Nigeria aims to become a major industrial and trade hub in Africa. According to Audu, strategic cooperation with Europe could simultaneously enhance supply chain resilience for European industries while supporting sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.
