Nigeria Revives Steel and Aluminum Ambitions with $2B Chinese Investment Proposal

Published: Feb 28, 2026 17:10

Save

According to foreign media: On a warm afternoon on the 23rd, conversations in Abuja, Nigeria, turned to an industry many had long considered dormant. Nigeria's ambitions in steel and aluminum, often mentioned but rarely realized, have resurfaced as the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, received a delegation from the GCL Group (GCL-Liquefied Natural Gas facility).
The meeting was not confined to general discussions but focused on a specific proposal. Chinese enterprise GCL expressed its intention to submit a construction plan for a primary aluminum smelter with a designed annual capacity of 3 million mt. The expected cost exceeds $2 billion, and the proposal is anticipated to become one of the most significant industrial projects in Nigeria's metals sector in decades.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

44 mins ago

Aluminum Rod Inventory Surges, Processing Fees Stable Amid Post-Holiday Demand Recovery [SMM Analysis]

According to SMM, as of February 27, 2026, the days of inventories for domestic aluminum rod plants were recorded at 12.7 days, an increase of 8.6 days from before the holiday.In the first week after the holiday, the weekly operating rate of the domestic aluminum wire and cable industry rebounded to 57%, up 4 percentage points MoM, significantly higher than the pre-holiday low of 53%.

44 mins ago

59 mins ago

Post-holiday Aluminum Ingot Inventory Under Pressure, Backlog to Continue Until Month-end [SMM Analysis]

After the Chinese New Year holiday, the domestic aluminum market entered the traditional resumption cycle, but the problem of aluminum ingot inventory buildup became prominent. Warehouses in major consumption areas faced comprehensive capacity constraints, and congestion at railway stations was widespread. Overall inventory pressure is expected to persist until the end of March...

59 mins ago

1 hour ago

Iran's Aluminum Industry Overview

1 hour ago