Introduction:
Nigeria’s solid-state battery (SSB) sector includes more than 35 companies focused on early-stage R&D sales and component manufacturing, with workforce sizes ranging from 11 to 50 employees per company[2]. The country has attracted $1.3 billion in Chinese investment to build four lithium processing plants poised to produce 45,000–60,000 tonnes of lithium annually by 2027, alongside Africa’s largest rare earth elements facility announced in June 2025[3]. Despite this, Nigeria lacks commercial-scale dedicated solid-state battery manufacturing capacity, relying mainly on imported lithium-ion battery technologies and exportation of mined lithium[4].Nevertheless the Nigeria government have plans to localize production of lithium batteries [5]. The Nigerian Battery Materials Market is forecasted to grow steadily at about 2.04% annually starting in 2025 and is driven by increasing renewable energy adoption and electric vehicle demand[6] [7]. Local challenges include technology transfer deficits, infrastructure gaps, and the absence of formal education programs in solid-state battery science, impeding Nigeria’s ability to transition from mineral processing to integrated battery innovation[8]. Compared to South Africa’s market, which leads Africa with a 42% share and a projected 44.4% Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in SSB segments, Nigeria remains in a nascent stage but shows significant growth potential backed by policy support and investment[9]. The continent’s larger battery industry sees investments totaling over $15 billion, including Morocco’s $6.5 billion gigafactory with 100 GWh capacity by 2030 primarily for lithium-ion and hybrid batteries, highlighting a fragmented but rapidly evolving energy storage ecosystem in Africa[10]. Strengthening technology transfer, workforce development, and integrating into AfCFTA battery value chains remain essential for Nigeria to capitalize on the global solid-state battery market boom expected from 2026 onward[11].
Background:
Definition of Solid State Battery:-
A solid-state battery is an electrochemical energy storage device that replaces liquid electrolytes with solid materials (ceramics, sulfides, or polymers) enabling ionic conduction between metallic anode and oxide cathode[12]. SSB architecture eliminates flammable liquid electrolytes, achieving energy densities exceeding 400 Wh/kg — 40% higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries (200–300 Wh/kg). The solid electrolyte provides superior ionic conductivity pathways, enhanced thermal stability, and extended cycle life (1,200+ cycles demonstrated in commercial prototypes)[13]. Environmental advantages include 39% reduction in manufacturing carbon emissions, 24% reduction in raw material consumption, and compatibility with sustainable Alkali-based chemistries leveraging abundant minerals[14].
Nigeria
Nigeria’s solid-state battery (SSB) sector features more than 35 companies, primarily Imports, startups, and R&D centers, employing 11–50 people each, with no commercial gigafactory-scale manufacturing as of 2025[15]. The country has attracted $1.3 billion in Chinese investment for four lithium processing plants producing 45,000–60,000 tonnes annually, plus Africa’s largest rare earth facility announced in June 2025, critical upstream inputs for future SSB manufacturing[16] [17] [18] .Despite the presence of strong computational research scientists like Omotayo Salawu an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University , Nigeria, and many researchers with expertise in energy materials and first-principles modeling who could potentially pioneer active R&D in solid-state batteries[19][20] if given access to significant research funding and facilities as Nigeria currently lacks dedicated solid-state electrolyte synthesis infrastructure. While the Projects Development Institute (PRODA) in Enugu initiated a lithium-ion battery research and development tender in 2023, there are no public reports of operational, large-scale solid-state battery facilities or fully equipped synthesis laboratories for solid-state electrolytes in the country[21] [22] [23] of which the house of representatives wants to probe all green project to ensure they are not abandoned [23], [24]. The Nigerian government allocated ₦1 trillion (~$2.3 billion) to the solid minerals sector in 2025 to boost processing capacity and Over $1 billion in foreign direct investment has already flowed into mineral processing, leading to new projects and expanded initiatives but this has yet to translate into downstream SSB pilot lines or commercial production[25] [26] . African Development Bank granted $1.2 million in 2025 for Nigeria’s battery energy storage feasibility, focused on lithium-ion and grid applications but not SSB-specific research [26], [27]. Globally, the solid-state battery market is forecast to grow at nearly 30% CAGR ($1.6B in 2025 to $5.9B in 2030), driven by EV and renewable demand, yet Nigeria’s SSB market remains nascent with critical gaps in technology transfer, workforce development, and integrated manufacturing strategy. Without urgent institutional coordination to formalize SSB roadmap and localize technology, Nigeria risks lagging behind African peers like South Africa, which commands 42% of the regional battery market and has a rapidly growing SSB segment[28][29][30] we can say south africa is in the direction of Battery product ownership . Immediate priorities include SSB curriculum integration, pilot electrolyte manufacturing scaling by late 2026, and 25% binding local engineering mandates in international processing Joint Ventures to build sustainable indigenous capacity.
Nigeria’s African Institutional Collaboration on Solid-State Battery Research
Nigeria’s Active Partnerships & Formal Agreements:
Nigeria has established critical collaborative frameworks with continental research leaders through signed MOUs and active partnerships. Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) houses the Africa Centre of Excellence in Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (ACE-FUELS), which signed a formal MOU with Chongqing University (China) in 2025 under the China-Africa 100 Universities Cooperation Plan[30] [31]. Through this partnership, ACE-FUELS is pioneering Africa’s first sodium-ion battery (SIB) pilot plant and exploring solid-state battery technologies for electric mobility and grid storage applications directly positioning FUTO as the country SSB development hub. Additionally, FUTO is engaged in Faraday Institution-funded StamiNa Project (Swansea University-led, July 2025)[32] [33] developing sodium-ion battery prototypes for East African(Kenya) e-mobility, with funding from the UK research council, though this collaboration does not yet include all other Federal University of Technology in Nigeria. At the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), the Department of Materials Science and Explosives contributes to battery materials research, but its operational technical details remain classified or undocumented, leaving advanced characterization capacity underused for civilian solid-state battery (SSB) development latest information available was the Canadian-based energy firm EM-ONE Energy Solutions, HeadQuatered at MaRS Waterfront Innovation Centre, 155 Queens Quay East, Toronto, to supply and install the battery storage used on its campus microgrid.[39]
South Africa Partnership Framework:
South Africa and Nigeria signed a Bilateral Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (2001), recently reactivated in October 2025 after years of dormancy[34]. South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Science emphasised renewable energy and digital transformation as priority collaboration areas, while President Ramaphosa pledged partnership on lithium processing and EV battery manufacturing during the Nigeria-South Africa Business Roundtable, recognizing Nigeria’s abundant lithium reserves as critical for green industrialization[35]. A mining sector MOU signed April 2025 between Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals (Dele Alake) and South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources (Gwede Mantashe) outlined technology transfer in mineral processing, UAV-based geological mapping, and joint capacity building foundational infrastructure supporting future SSB value chain integration [36] .
Ethiopia Collaboration (Emerging):
Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia), operating Africa’s most advanced operational solid-state metal-air battery research program, has established research connections with Nigerian institutions through the Africa-UniNet framework (Nigeria-Ethiopia-Austria collaboration on sustainable agriculture, 2024–2026)[37], which can be utilized also as an institutional pathways for expanding SSB research partnerships. However, no formal SSB-Research specific MOU exists between Bahir Dar Energy Center and Nigerian universities as of November 2025, representing a critical coordination gap given Ethiopia’s numerous publication record on SSB materials and Nigeria’s superior computational capacity displayed by Omotayo Salawu’s DFT researches.
Strategic Gaps & Recommendations:
Despite South Africa’s 44.4% SSB research and market growth, and Bahir Dar’s operational research capacity, Nigeria lacks formal bilateral SSB research coordination agreements. Immediate action required:
(1) A joint research consortium among leading African universities such as the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), the African Center of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-FUELS) at FUTO, and Bahir Dar University’s Energy Center should focus on developing solid-state battery technologies with clear product goals. Collaboration with South African research institutions like the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and University of Cape Town (UCT) on cathode material optimization will enhance innovation and accelerate deployment. This alliance aims to bridge computational modeling, experimental validation, and system integration to drive next-generation energy storage solutions in Africa.
(3) PRODA should negotiate technology transfer clauses with Chinese lithium processors mandating quarterly joint workshops with Bahir Dar and South African institutions;
(4) African Union should establish a dedicated AU Battery Research Consortium coordinating Nigeria, South Africa,Morroco and Ethiopia SSB initiatives under AfCFTA framework, with explicit technology-sharing protocols and joint commercialization timelines targeting 2027–2028 pilot production demonstrations.
Author:
Omotayo is writer for Expert News. He is a physicist by profession with extensive experience across multiple industries, including research, information technology, and energy.[38]
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