Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Dele Alake, has called for a bold continental shift from being a supplier of raw minerals to becoming a global centre for mineral processing, innovation, and green industrialisation.
Delivering the keynote address at the African Mining Week in Cape Town, themed “Vision & Strategy: Setting the Stage for Minerals Industrialisation,” Alake emphasised the urgent need to break Africa’s historic dependence on raw material exports.
“Our youth should no longer seek jobs abroad while opportunities lie buried beneath their feet,” Alake said.
“The time to industrialise is now. Let us set the stage for an Africa that is not just a participant in the global minerals economy, but a driver of its future.”
Alake noted that Africa possesses some of the richest mineral deposits in the world, with key resources essential for:
- Clean energy transition
- Digital technologies
- Advanced manufacturing
- Global security
Yet, despite this wealth, many African economies remain under-industrialised, often serving only as resource suppliers to industrialised regions.
Represented at the event by Farouk Yabo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alake outlined Nigeria’s recent progress and ambitious reforms in the mining sector:
- Incentivising local beneficiation: From gold refining to lithium processing.
- Revoking dormant licences to prioritise serious investors.
- Digitising mining processes: Improving transparency and data access.
- Promoting traceability and formalisation of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM).
- Amending the 2007 Mining Act to strengthen legal protections and investor confidence.
- Mapping of mineral resources to improve strategic oversight and supervision.
He reiterated Nigeria’s vision to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030, driven in part by a revitalised solid minerals sector.
Alake’s message aligned closely with the positions of other AMSG member countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which also called for comprehensive national mapping and strict regulation to curb illegal mining.
At the AMSG ministerial roundtable, Alake emphasised the need for:
- Regional collaboration on traceability and beneficiation
- Stronger institutions to regulate mineral value chains
- Investment in skills development and technology transfer
During the country spotlight session, Nigeria presented a detailed overview of its mineral endowments, investment incentives, and sector-specific reforms aimed at attracting credible global partners.
African Mining Week was attended by Mining Ministers from:
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- Zimbabwe
- Sierra Leone
Delegations from Nigeria, Gambia, and Ghana also participated, alongside major private sector players from across the continent’s extractive industries.
Alake closed his remarks with a call for bold leadership, institutional reform, and strategic investments to reshape Africa’s place in the global minerals value chain.
“It is time to end the paradox of wealth beneath poverty. Africa must industrialise or risk perpetual dependency.”
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