President Bola Tinubu has called on African countries to intensify efforts to end the exploitation of the continent’s critical mineral resources and ensure greater value is created locally.
Tinubu made the call while addressing the third Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa, held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The President was represented at the event by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, while the roundtable was chaired by Tinubu alongside the AMSG Chairman and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake.
The meeting was held under the theme, “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition, Data Sovereignty, Innovative Financing and Critical Minerals Security.”
Tinubu urged African nations to work together to reduce the export of raw mineral resources and build industries capable of processing minerals within the continent.
He said Africa must move beyond being a supplier of raw materials to becoming a major centre for mineral processing, manufacturing and value addition.
According to him, African countries cannot continue to claim mineral wealth while communities where the resources are extracted remain poor and lack basic infrastructure, jobs and meaningful participation in the benefits of those resources.
Tinubu said Africa’s critical minerals have become increasingly important because of growing global demand for clean energy technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.
He argued that the continent’s mineral resources should be used to develop processing and refining industries, battery production, local technologies, skilled jobs and other areas that can create lasting economic benefits.
“The worth of a mine must be counted in the lives it improves,” Tinubu said, stressing that jobs, industries, infrastructure, technology transfer, African enterprise participation and wealth retained across generations should be used to measure progress from resources to prosperity.
The President also warned African countries against competing with one another by offering lower royalties, weak local-content requirements and excessive concessions to investors.
He said such competition could weaken Africa’s bargaining position, while greater cooperation would provide larger markets, integrated industries, stronger financing opportunities and greater negotiating power.
Tinubu said Nigeria was already taking steps to increase local value addition in the mining sector. These include requiring local processing for new mining licences, improving geological data and access for investors, organising artisanal miners into cooperatives, tackling illegal mining and strengthening regulatory accountability.
He disclosed that mining revenue increased from about N6 billion in 2023 to more than N38 billion in 2024 and between N68.1 billion and N70 billion in 2025.
The President also pointed to major foreign investment commitments and the development of large-scale lithium processing capacity in Nasarawa State as evidence of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s mining sector.
He said his administration’s mining policy was designed to ensure that minerals extracted in Nigeria contribute to the development of Nigerian industries, workers, skills and host communities.
Tinubu further called for partnerships based on mutual benefit, shared responsibility, sovereign equality and respect for Africa’s priorities.
He urged members of the AMSG to speak with one voice in protecting the continent’s collective interests and stressed the need to mobilise African capital, integrate markets and strengthen industrial capacity.
The President said the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration adopted at the roundtable should lead to a practical programme with clear timelines, financing arrangements, implementation plans and public accountability.
He also called on African countries to outline their national and regional contributions, while development finance institutions and sovereign investors should develop financing platforms to support strategic mineral projects.
Earlier, Alake said the proposed Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration was intended to create a unified framework for Africa’s critical and solid mineral value chains.
He urged more African countries to join the AMSG, saying stronger cooperation would help the continent coordinate its efforts, ideas and resources in developing its mineral wealth.
Kenya’s Minister of Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Hassan Ali-Joho, also stressed the importance of mobilising domestic resources to support solid mineral development.
He said AMSG members would need to maintain transparency and competitiveness while working towards greater alignment of licensing procedures across the continent.
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