Nigeria, Nov. 2 -- Nigeria is looking to cash in on a global lithium mining boom while trying to avoid the curse of environmental damage, community grievance, and corruption that has scarred more than half a century of oil exploitation in the country's southern delta region.

Nigeria's lithium belt, stretching from Oyo in the southwest to Kano in the north, is estimated to be worth more than $34 billion. Although it is not a top-10 producer, Nigeria's lithium is considered high-grade, and the government is moving aggressively to expand its processing capacity to meet the soaring demand for lithium-ion batteries at the heart of the world's clean energy transition.

With the right policies in place, Nigeria could boost economic growth, crea...