Nigeria and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have called for greater African ownership and control of the continent’s vast mineral resources, urging mineral-rich countries to embrace local value addition, regional collaboration and strategic financing to unlock sustainable economic growth.
The call was made at the Ministerial Forum on Critical Minerals, Value Chain and Beneficiation: Pathways for African Transformation, organised by the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking at the forum, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, urged African nations to adopt a collective approach to mineral development rather than pursuing isolated national strategies, stressing that stronger regional cooperation would enable the continent to derive greater value from its abundant mineral resources.
Mr Alake, who chairs the Africa Mineral Strategy Group (AMSG), said Africa must move beyond exporting raw minerals and focus instead on value addition, local processing, and industrialisation to achieve economic independence.
“While the mantra of value addition has ushered in an era of economic independence for mineral-producing nations, we need concrete, actionable strategies to take charge and be in full control of our natural assets to ensure total economic freedom,” he said.
