Nigeria's lithium boom runs on child labour

Nasarawa State in central Nigeria sits at the centre of the country's lithium rush, driven by global demand for battery minerals. Artisanal pits, licensed operators, illegal miners and foreign buyers all operate there. The claim on trial is that the boom depends on child labour. That is a claim about scale, not just about whether children are present.

Key claims

• Al Jazeera: artisanal miners in Nasarawa say they face "unsafe working conditions, child labour concerns and communities still waiting to see the benefits."
• Nasarawa State government, Sept 18, 2026: "no child below the age of 18 is allowed to be found at any mining site". Violators face arrest and prosecution under the Child Rights Law.
• Commissioner Margaret Elayo: the ministry received information that sites in the Wamba, Nasarawa-Eggon and Kokona areas were exposing children to health hazards and keeping them out of school.
• Federal prosecutors: 15 Chinese nationals and nine Nigerians were charged in June over alleged illegal lithium mining in Kokona.
• Nasarawa community residents and a state lawmaker: miners exploit local communities, and school-age girls as young as 12 are drawn into camps near mining sites.

What the evidence says so far

Children's presence at mining sites is acknowledged by the state itself. Punch reports that Commissioner Elayo said underage children were being used as labourers at artisanal sites. She tied the ban to recent deaths of suspected illegal miners in Niger State. The ban covers children working as labourers, errand runners or food vendors. No opened source reports how the ban has been enforced or how many children have been removed.

Illegality is documented. Premium Times reports that 24 defendants, 15 of them Chinese nationals, plus a company, C and A International New Energy Ltd, were arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja after arrests on May 16 in Kokona. They are accused of mining without authority on land covered by another company's exploration licence. They were granted bail and the trial was adjourned. These are allegations and have not been tested in court. The charges concern unlicensed mining, not child labour.

Community harms are reported but are not the same as child labour. A News Agency of Nigeria feature from Uke, published in June, quotes residents who say miners lure school-age girls, some as young as 12, with phones and cash in exchange for sex. It also quotes state assembly member Adamu Omadefu, who said mining companies were "treating our people as slaves in their own country". These are serious allegations of exploitation. The feature does not quantify child labour in lithium pits.

What is missing is scale. No opened source estimates how many children work in Nigeria's lithium mines or what share of output depends on their labour. The Al Jazeera piece is a short video report, and only its published description was read. Without data on scale, the evidence supports "children work in some lithium mines and officials acknowledge it". It does not yet support "the boom runs on child labour".

Sources

• Al Jazeera: The artisanal miners behind Nigeria's lithium boom (video, description only)
• Punch: Nasarawa bans under-18s from mining, unveils task force
• Premium Times: 15 Chinese, nine Nigerians arraigned for alleged illegal lithium mining in Nasarawa
• News Agency of Nigeria: Uke, the many sides of mining in Nasarawa community

Source notes

Only the Al Jazeera page description was read. The video itself was not watched, so its specific claims are not cited. The Nasarawa government and the federal Mining Marshals are interested parties with an incentive to show enforcement. The NAN feature relies on resident testimony and one lawmaker's oversight visit. NAN is the state news agency. An AP investigation into children in Nigeria's lithium mines surfaced in search, but it could not be opened on two attempts (one timeout and one incomplete page). Its findings are therefore not used: https://apnews.com/article/lithium-mining-energy-transition-child-labor-nigeria-africa-22155590dddf7ecc0b9fd55b221c6d9f. An AI-generated X summary mentioned a new 6,000-tonne lithium processing plant. This was not verified and is not used. Open gaps: any survey or count of child workers, enforcement data on the September ban, and comment from processors and buyers.

Lead image: A miner carries a bag of lithium-bearing stones at an open-cast mine in Gidan Kwano, Nasarawa State, January 2025. Photo: Olympia de Maismont/AFP, via The National.