President Bola Tinubu has called on African countries to stop exporting mineral resources in their raw form, warning that the continent will remain underdeveloped if it continues to allow others reap the benefits of processing and industrialisation.
Speaking while receiving a delegation of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu said Africa must unite to strengthen its bargaining power and derive greater value from its abundant mineral deposits.
The President, who is the Grand Patron of the group, said the world would remain indifferent to Africa’s poverty as long as producing countries keep supplying raw materials without securing corresponding economic benefits.
Tinubu urged African nations to collaborate in ensuring that mineral resources generate jobs, technology and prosperity for their people, stressing that exploitation without value addition should no longer be tolerated.
He also called for increased investments in research, development and refining capacity, arguing that a knowledge-based economy would improve living standards and accelerate industrial growth across the continent.
According to him, African countries should centralise discussions on mineral development and adopt policies that encourage domestic processing, technology transfer and stronger local value chains.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the AMSG, Dele Alake, commended Tinubu’s leadership, saying his push for local beneficiation and value addition has become a guiding principle for the group’s agenda across Africa.
