ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a strong call for African nations to unify their approach toward the management of the continent's vast natural resources. Meeting with a delegation from the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the State House on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, President Tinubu emphasized that Africa must move beyond its historic role as a mere supplier of raw materials to the rest of the world.
A Call for Continental Cooperation
As the Grand Patron of the AMSG a forum comprising African Ministers of Mining and Solid Minerals President Tinubu urged the group to "avoid bureaucracy and deceit" and to focus on concrete actions that drive economic prosperity. He stressed that the continent possesses the wealth and potential to dictate its own terms in the global market, provided there is collective bargaining and strategic cooperation.
"It is our responsibility to collaborate and cooperate to ensure that these metals and minerals bring value to us, bring technology to us," the President stated. He further advocated for the centralization of research, development, and refining efforts across the continent to maximize the benefits derived from Africa’s critical minerals.
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Advancing Local Beneficiation
The meeting underscored a pivotal shift in policy direction across Africa, moving away from the export of raw minerals toward local beneficiation the process of refining and adding value to materials before export.
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairperson of the AMSG, Dele Alake, reported that the group has actively implemented the President’s vision. He noted that several member countries are already emulating Nigeria’s approach by implementing policies that prioritize domestic processing, with some nations having already placed bans on the export of raw minerals to incentivize local industrialization.
The Role of AFNIS 2026
The AMSG delegation is currently in Abuja for the Fifth African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026). The summit, themed “One Africa, One Resource Vision,” is designed as a platform for African leaders to push for a new continental approach to resource management. By focusing on industrialization, strategic cooperation, and the creation of value chains, the summit aims to position Africa as a dominant player in the global critical minerals value chain.
The AMSG continues to champion the need for policies that foster job creation, technology transfer, and sustainable economic development, ensuring that Africa’s mineral wealth serves as a catalyst for a knowledge-based economy and long-term prosperity.
