President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for a comprehensive restructuring of the global financial system as it relates to Africa’s mineral resources, urging African nations to take full control of financing and managing their critical minerals sector.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Second Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-Level Roundtable on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, President Tinubu emphasized the need for African sovereignty and continental unity in global mineral supply chains.
“We must take the bull by the horns in financing our future. Never again shall we wait for capital to trickle in. With sovereign funds, blended vehicles, and innovation tools like the Africa Mineral Token, Africa shall finance Africa,” Tinubu declared.
He stressed that Africa must assert its power in the global mineral supply chain by moving away from dependency and ensuring that natural resources such as cobalt, lithium, graphite, gold, and rare earths are protected and leveraged as a collective continental bloc.
Unlocking Africa’s Mineral Future
Tinubu’s remarks, conveyed in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, outlined four imperatives to unlock Africa’s mineral-driven economic future:
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Self-financing mechanisms using sovereign wealth and innovative financial tools.
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Continental collaboration to build influence in global mineral value chains.
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Accelerated government-led mineral exploration to reduce dependence on foreign imports.
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Policy alignment across African states to strengthen market competitiveness.
Nigeria’s Commitment Under Renewed Hope Agenda
Reaffirming Nigeria’s dedication to the mineral sector transformation, President Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Agenda will prioritize a mineral-led industrial renaissance, aimed at not only harnessing Nigeria’s vast resources but also contributing to Africa’s collective development.
“To safeguard this sovereignty, we must guard our cobalt, lithium, graphite, gold, and rare earths not as fragmented states but as one continental bloc,” he added.
