…As $5 million British battery recycling company is to be set up in Ogun State.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, when he led some officials of the Commission on a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun, in his office in Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to Montgomery, when operational, it would be the best in Africa.
He said: “My brief visit to this state is about the deal put together for recycling, which is moving out of Lagos State and establishing a new plant here for recycling e-waste. The Ogun Invest and the Director General, Lands are working to ensure the deal comes off the line, and I am glad to be here to join the final conversation. I think that will bring new technology and new jobs to the State.
“The battery we will be manufacturing in Ogun State will be the first of its kind in Africa, and we will make the State the leader in battery recycling in Africa.
“For the first time, it is now possible to recycle the cell back into chemical form in Africa and export the black mass, which contains the minerals inside the battery, to make new batteries.
“It is really exciting that we received support from Ogun Invest, and officials from the Bureau of Lands confirmed the Certificate of Occupation. We can say that the investment will be about five million dollars, and we want Ogun State to be the place where this industry can grow,” the High Commissioner said.
He expressed his country’s interest in participating in energy, technology, tertiary education, agricultural processing, as well as explore to find more United Kingdom-linked companies to invest in the state, adding that discussions are ongoing with the state team on how to proceed in the coming year.
Montgomery stated that the British International Investment, a financial development institution, has invested in one of the major cashew processing and export companies, noting that his country is ready to offer technical assistance to the state’s mass transit system, which is currently being test-run.
Responding, Abiodun listed some of the investment opportunities in the state and some of the things his government is doing make Ogun more attractive to investors.
He added that the establishment of the Ministry of Transportation, the development of the Transportation Master Plan, and the building of a cargo airport were some of his takeaways from participating in a summit in the United Kingdom in 2020.
Abiodun said, “We are open for business. Our administration has made the environment attractive. We have reduced bureaucratic bottlenecks to the barest minimum. We have made land acquisition seamless for investors. We have grown our economy.
“Ogun State is effective and forward-thinking. I want to thank the High Commissioner for the support we have enjoyed from the British Foreign Office.”
Ogun Welcomes $5m British Battery Recycling Company is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
