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Lithium production in Nigeria is booming, but much of it comes from illegal mines where child labor is rampant.
Children as young as six work in perilous mine shafts for as little as a dollar a day, an investigation by The Associated Press found.
In recent years, the US, China, and Russia have accelerated their attempts to control mineral supplies across the continent in the scramble for minerals vital for the green transition. Some experts say continued lithium production raises the prospect of oversupply in the coming years.
The International Labor Organization estimates that more than a million children work in mines globally, the majority in Africa.
In DR Congo, home to most of the world’s supply of cobalt, mining has led to “grievous human rights abuses,” Amnesty International said.
