President Bola Tinubu has called for a fresh continental push to end the exploitation of Africa’s critical mineral resources.

Represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Mr Tinubu made the call 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 (UNGA).

Mr Tinubu convened and chaired the roundtable alongside AMSG chairman and Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake.

The roundtable’s theme was ‘From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition, Data Sovereignty, Innovative Financing and Critical Minerals Security’. It focused on transforming Africa’s mineral wealth into sustainable economic growth.

The Nigerian leader urged African nations to unite and stop exporting raw materials. He also called for a strong alliance among African countries to ensure the continent transitions from a mere supplier of raw minerals to a hub for local processing, manufacturing, and value addition.

Mr Tinubu told African leaders and other stakeholders that the continent cannot claim to be wealthy, while its children wallow in poverty amid mines that enrich the world.

“For generations, Africa has furnished the materials of prosperity elsewhere. Our duty is to ensure that the future being fashioned from African minerals has room for African ambition,” he declared.

Mr Tinubu regretted that mineral-rich communities lack infrastructure, jobs and a stake in their own wealth.

“The worth of a mine must be counted in the lives it improves,” he stated. “Jobs, industries, infrastructure, technology transfer, African enterprise participation and prosperity retained across generations must measure our progress from resources to wealth.”

Mr Tinubu warned, however, that no single African country can achieve this alone. He added that competing through lower royalties, weaker local content and excessive concessions would only weaken the continent’s negotiating power.

“Fragmentation leaves us exporting raw materials and buying finished goods at a premium. Cooperation gives our markets scale, our industries integration, our financing reach and our negotiations authority,” he said. “Revenue rose from approximately six billion naira in 2023 to over N38 billion in 2024 and between N68.1 billion and N70 billion in 2025. Major foreign investment commitments and large-scale lithium processing capacity developed and commissioned in Nasarawa State demonstrate the possibilities.”

(NAN)