FG to Enforce 30% Local Processing Mandate on All Natural Resource Exports, Awaits Presidential Assent on Landmark Bill

The Federal Government has disclosed its final plans to enforce a landmark policy requiring a minimum of 30 per cent local value addition to all natural resources and raw materials before they are shipped out of Nigeria. This decisive shift, set to be implemented upon the assent of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) 30 per cent Value-Addition Bill by President Bola Tinubu, is intended to break the nation’s decades-long reliance on exporting unprocessed commodities.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, confirmed the initiative today, Friday, November 28, 2025, describing the legislation as one of the most significant steps towards the industrialisation of Nigeria. He stated that the new law would ensure that before any of Nigeria’s natural wealth is exported, at least 30 per cent of its value shall be added locally, a measure intended to deepen local content, strengthen the manufacturing sector, and expand high-skilled employment opportunities.

The Minister cited minerals like lithium as a prime example, noting that the requirement would force exporters to shift from shipping raw ore to producing more valuable outputs like lithium concentrate or salt within the country, generating jobs and driving industrial infrastructure development.

The RMRDC Director-General, Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, confirmed that the bill is founded on two core pillars: mandating the 30 per cent value addition before export and prohibiting the importation of raw materials that are domestically abundant. The government is rejecting concerns that the law could deter foreign investment, insisting that it offers regulatory clarity and a compelling business case for investors to establish processing and manufacturing plants locally, assuring that economic-related sanctions will back enforcement to dissuade flouting the new mandate.