President Bola Tinubu has called on African countries to unite in protecting the continent’s vast mineral resources, urging leaders to end the exploitation of critical minerals and ensure that Africa benefits fully from its natural wealth through value addition and industrialisation.
Speaking on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu said African nations must work together to strengthen their bargaining power in the global minerals market and prevent the continent from remaining a mere supplier of raw materials.
The President, who serves as Grand Patron of the AMSG, stressed the need for collaboration among African countries to promote local processing, research, development and refining of mineral resources.
“We must put an end to exploitation. It is our responsibility to collaborate and cooperate to ensure that these metals and minerals bring value to us, bring technology to us and enhance the quality of life of our people,” Tinubu said.
He noted that Africa’s enormous mineral wealth should be strategically harnessed to drive industrialisation, create jobs and accelerate economic growth across the continent.
According to him, the era of exporting raw minerals without local processing must give way to a model that encourages investment in local industries, technology transfer and value chains that retain wealth within Africa.
Tinubu also advocated for a coordinated continental approach to research and development in the mining sector, saying African nations should take advantage of their collective resources to build a knowledge-based economy.
Earlier, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the AMSG, Mr. Dele Alake, commended the President for his support of the mining sector under the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly efforts aimed at promoting local value addition, economic diversification and empowering artisanal miners.
Alake said several African countries were already adopting policies inspired by Nigeria’s approach, including restrictions on the export of raw minerals.
He told the President that the AMSG had implemented his directive to make local beneficiation the cornerstone of the group’s objectives, adding that the policy was gaining traction across the continent.
The minister also informed Tinubu that AMSG members were in Abuja for the fifth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026).
The summit, themed “One Africa, One Resource Vision,” is expected to advance a continental strategy for resource management, industrialisation and cooperation among member states, with the goal of positioning Africa as a key player in the global critical minerals value chain.
Alake reaffirmed the group’s commitment to protecting Africa’s interests and increasing the value and revenue generated from the continent’s mineral resources through local processing and strategic partnerships.