Nigeria’s Child Labour and Exploitation behind Lithium Mining

In the quiet rural regions of Nigeria, children as young as five toil in the mining of lithium, often referred to as “white gold,” a vital element for clean energy solutions.

Beneath the promise of income for Nigeria’s most vulnerable lies a darker reality—a cycle of poverty, exploitation, and danger.

Here we are explaining the human cost of the global transition to green energy, highlighting China’s controversial role in Nigeria’s mining sector.

In the quiet bushlands of Nigeria’s Pasali, the wind carries a suffocating rhythm as the faint strikes of axes echo through the air, cracking open rocks. Trapped within these rocks is lithium, often called the “white gold” of the 21^st century. Essential for the production of rechargeable batteries and smartphones, lithium plays a pivotal role in the global shift towards green energy.

Nigeria’s Child Labour and Exploitation behind Lithium Mining

Nigeria boasts one of the largest lithium deposits in Africa, with the valuable mineral currently being mined across four states. However, beneath the frenzied rush to extract lithium lies a grim reality: much of Nigeria’s lithium is extracted through the exploitation of its poorest and most vulnerable—its children.

Lithium mining in Nigeria’s Pasali began around a decade ago, but within just a few years, this once-sleepy rural town has transformed into a hotspot for illegal mining. Within these mines, the desperate desire to escape poverty intersects with the allure of promised income.

Children as young as five descend into mining shafts, hunching over heaps of rubble as they work in teams. With crude tools in their small hands, they chip away at the stones. In just an hour, they can sort up to 22 kilograms of lithium, bagging it up and carrying it to a nearby warehouse.

Five-year-old ZakariaDanladi was once enrolled in school, but poverty forced him into the mines. For Juliet, another child worker, the story is no different. Armed with nothing but their hands and determination, Zakaria and Juliet face constant danger, with a mining tragedy just one loud thud away.

In recent years, underground explosions and collapsing walls have claimed countless lives. Despite knowing the risks, the adults in these mines continue to allow children to extract the lithium.

“I know mining is dangerous and has its disadvantages, but every profession has risks,” a lithium miner explained. “Death is unpredictable. Someone could be riding a motorcycle and get hit by a driver, leading to death. For us, we understand that once we enter the mining shaft, there’s always a possibility of disaster.”

The backbreaking labour of these children fuels an elusive supply chain. As lithium passes through the hands of child workers who extract the ore, it begins its journey to foreign markets.

All of this white gold is destined for various parts of the world. The suppliers acknowledge that child labour is prevalent in their supply chain, but they offer a chilling defense.

“The child workers are either extremely poor or orphaned, living alone. Mining is the only way they can survive,” the miners said.

“These child labourers move between different mining sites to work. When outsiders see them working, searching for food, they chase them away. But since we are fortunate enough to have mining sites, if children come here and find lithium they can sell to feed themselves, we let them help themselves. We can’t stop the children from trying to earn their daily wages because most of us are poor, have nothing, and need to work to survive,” says a lithium mining merchant.

As children sacrifice their childhood for survival, the shadowy world of illegal mining flourishes, with an informal network of buyers and sellers operating both within and beyond Nigeria. Meanwhile, government oversight remains minimal, and exploitation runs rampant.

The roots of this exploitation stem from Nigeria’s deep poverty. Over 63% of the country’s 133 million people live in multidimensional poverty. According to official data, 51% of all the poor in Nigeria are children. A large majority of them reside in rural areas, where government presence and support are minimal.

China’s involvement in Nigeria’s mining industry casts a dark shadow. In recent years, Chinese businesses have been accused of profiting from unlicensed mines that employ children. Nigerian authorities have arrested several Chinese nationals for their involvement in illegal mining operations. A significant portion of Nigeria’s lithium wealth is siphoned off to market leaders, including China.

Illegal mining costs Nigeria billions of dollars each year. Although officials have pledged to crack down on illegal mining operations, corruption and weak oversight undermine these efforts. For now, much of Nigeria’s lithium production continues, much of it occurring illegally.

The children of Pasali remain trapped in the white gold rush, their dreams buried beneath the rubble they labour to extract. Until global supply chains prioritize ethics over profit, the cost of lithium will be paid in the currency of shattered childhoods.

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