{"id":2136,"date":"2026-04-13T16:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/?p=2136"},"modified":"2026-04-13T16:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:47:59","slug":"chariot-lithium-nigeria-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/04\/13\/chariot-lithium-nigeria-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian miner reports high-grade lithium find in Nigeria after licence approvals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-summary\" style=\"background: #F9F9F9; border-left: 4px solid #1e6bb8; padding: 16px 20px; margin-bottom: 24px; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 1.6; color: #212223;\">\n<ul style=\"margin: 0; padding-left: 20px;\">\n<li>Chariot reports lithium grades of up to 5.96% from early sampling in Nigeria.<\/li>\n<li>Six licences approved as company prepares drilling to define resource size.<\/li>\n<li>Find supports Nigeria\u2019s push to build a new critical minerals industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"169\" data-end=\"407\">AUSTRALIAN <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Chariot Resources Ltd<\/span><\/span> has reported high-grade lithium mineralisation in Nigeria after securing six mining licences, marking an early step in its expansion into West Africa\u2019s growing battery metals sector.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"409\" data-end=\"579\">The licences were approved by the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office<\/span><\/span> and cover projects in Oyo and Kwara states, in the country\u2019s south-west and north-central regions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"581\" data-end=\"750\">The company said early sampling at its Fonlo and Iganna projects confirmed the presence of spodumene, a key lithium-bearing mineral widely used in battery supply chains.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"752\" data-end=\"884\">Laboratory results showed lithium oxide grades ranging from 2.66% to 5.96%, which are considered high for early-stage exploration.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"886\" data-end=\"1099\">According to the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">U.S. Geological Survey<\/span><\/span>, many hard-rock lithium operations globally report average grades between about 1% and 2% Li\u2082O, placing Chariot\u2019s early results at the upper end of the range.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1101\" data-end=\"1224\">\u201cInitial assay results confirm high-grade lithium mineralisation across multiple targets,\u201d the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1226\" data-end=\"1529\">Spodumene is preferred in lithium extraction because it has a simpler and well-established processing route compared with other minerals such as lepidolite, which often require more complex and costly treatment, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/young-zimbabwean-critical-minerals-producers-align-with-chinas-vision-for-value-chain-integration\/\">mineral processing<\/a> studies published by <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">ScienceDirect<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1531\" data-end=\"1685\">Chariot said the Nigerian projects sit within lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite systems, which host many of the world\u2019s major hard-rock lithium deposits.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1687\" data-end=\"1815\">The company added that the presence of pollucite, a caesium-bearing mineral, could increase the strategic value of the projects.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1817\" data-end=\"2001\">Chariot Resources is a junior exploration company focused on lithium assets in Africa and the United States, with a strategy centred on early-stage discovery and project development.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2003\" data-end=\"2124\">The firm has built a portfolio of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/manono-lithium-project-drc\/\">lithium projects<\/a> but remains at an exploration stage, with no producing assets to date.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2126\" data-end=\"2284\">The Nigerian projects cover about 254 square kilometres and include areas with a history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2025\/12\/19\/zimbabwe-moves-to-formalise-artisanal-mining-as-small-scale-miners-supply-68-of-gold\/\">artisanal mining<\/a>, which often signals near-surface mineralisation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2286\" data-end=\"2422\">Chariot plans to begin a diamond drilling campaign of between 2,000 and 4,000 metres to test the scale and continuity of the deposits.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2424\" data-end=\"2516\">The company has not publicly confirmed exact start and end dates for the drilling programme.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2518\" data-end=\"2695\">The next phase after drilling would typically involve resource estimation, followed by feasibility studies and development planning, in line with standard mining project cycles.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2697\" data-end=\"2805\">Reports by the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Nigerian Geological Survey Agency<\/span><\/span> show challenges such as limited rail networks, unreliable power supply and high logistics costs.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3086\" data-end=\"3197\">Environmental and social risks are also under scrutiny, particularly in regions with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/planetgold-zimbabwe-says-mines-bill-misses-key-gaps-in-artisanal-mining-reform\/\">artisanal mining<\/a> activity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3199\" data-end=\"3424\">Mining projects in Nigeria are required to complete environmental impact assessments under federal regulations, though enforcement has been uneven, according to policy documents from the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Nigerian Ministry of Mines and Steel Development<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3426\" data-end=\"3535\">Chariot has not yet published detailed environmental or community engagement plans for the Nigerian projects.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3537\" data-end=\"3647\">The development comes as Nigeria <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/riozim-output-plunges-in-2024-as-miner-seeks-20-million-equity-lifeline\/\">seeks to expand its solid minerals<\/a> sector to reduce reliance on oil revenues.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3649\" data-end=\"3833\">Government policy aims to attract foreign investment into minerals such as lithium, gold and iron ore, positioning the country as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/2025\/11\/15\/vast-lithium-reserves-position-zim-as-key-player-in-clean-energy-transition\/\">future supplier to global energy<\/a> transition markets.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3835\" data-end=\"4005\">Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development have said lithium is a priority mineral due to rising demand from electric vehicles and energy storage systems.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4007\" data-end=\"4170\">Global demand for lithium has grown sharply in recent years, driven by the shift to cleaner energy technologies, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chariot reports lithium grades of up to 5.96% from early sampling in Nigeria. Six licences approved as company prepares drilling to define resource size. Find supports Nigeria\u2019s push to build a new critical minerals industry. AUSTRALIAN Chariot Resources Ltd has reported high-grade lithium mineralisation in Nigeria after securing six mining licences, marking an early step [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Early results show strong grades as company prepares for drilling campaign"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":{"paragraph_limit":"2","enable_premium_post":"0","enable_free_post":"0","override_paragraph_limit":"0","enable_preview_post":"0","enable_preview_video":"0"},"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[363,362,368,382,375],"tags":[234,469,137,218,468],"class_list":["post-2136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exploration-discovery","category-company-news","category-critical-minerals","category-junior-miners","category-west-africa","tag-africa-mining","tag-chariot-resources","tag-critical-minerals","tag-lithium","tag-nigeria-mining"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2136"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2139,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/revisions\/2139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zimining.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}