Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has called on African countries to end decades of exporting mineral wealth without capturing sufficient value from processing, industrialisation and manufacturing.
Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the call on Monday at the third Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa.
The roundtable was held on the sidelines of the ongoing 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Nigerian Leader said Africa could not regard itself as wealthy while communities located around mineral deposits remained poor.
He called for greater continental coordination, warning against African countries competing for investment through lower royalties, weaker local-content requirements and excessive concessions.
Instead, he advocated integrated markets, regional processing hubs and cross-border mineral corridors capable of giving Africa greater scale and strengthening its position in global mineral supply chains.
The Vice President backed the AMSG’s Mutual Assured Development (MADE) Framework, saying governments must provide predictable policies and credible institutions while investors should deliver responsible capital, technology transfer, local value and sustained commitment.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, who also doubles as the Chairman of the AMSG, Dele Alake, proposed the establishment of an African Artisanal Mining Formalisation and Safety Facility.
The Minister said he believed that the move would tackle the high rate of informal mining, which has claimed the lives of over 200 people in the Eastern democratic republic of Congo in January, led to the death of scores of miners in the Central African Republic in August, and left 60 dead in West Kordofan, Sudan, a few days ago, all due to the collapse of mining sites.
