By Ayomide Otitoju
The Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) convened a high-level ministerial roundtable on Thursday during African Mining Week 2025, bringing together representatives from the mining ministries of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), The Gambia, Nigeria, and Egypt to explore strategies for advancing exploration, production, and value addition across the continent.
Addressing the session, H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the AMSG, said the discussions aimed to tackle real challenges rather than serve as symbolic dialogue. He noted that while some African countries are making progress in mineral beneficiation, others continue to lag behind.
“We need structural solutions rooted in diplomacy, stronger African capital mobilization, and protection of digital sovereignty,” Engadu said, emphasizing the roles of sovereign wealth funds, national mining companies, and pension funds in bridging Africa’s financing gap.
He also called for the creation of a continent-wide critical minerals strategy, pointing out that other regions already have such frameworks in place. “A continental strategy would help us protect and promote our interests,” he added.
Yasser Ramadan, Chairman of the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority, expressed Egypt’s commitment to collaborate with fellow African nations in developing a shared value addition strategy that promotes youth empowerment and local participation in the mining sector.
Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines for the DRC, stressed the importance of boosting mineral exploration through new investments, greenfield projects, and digital mapping technologies.
“Our priority is to attract exploration funding and support local geologists — no one knows a country’s geology better than its own people,” Kabamba said, calling for closer cooperation between governments and chambers of mines to strengthen governance and share best practices.
Supporting this view, Eng. Yusuf Farouk Yabo, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, urged African countries to prioritize comprehensive resource mapping to better identify and manage mineral deposits.
“After national mapping, it is the duty of countries to ensure only licensed operators are mining. We must also build capacity for effective supervision,” Yabo noted, while calling for unified policies to curb the export of unprocessed minerals.
Echoing the theme of regional collaboration, Lamin Camara, Permanent Secretary at The Gambia’s Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines, lauded AMSG’s platform for fostering knowledge exchange and model development.
“We have Nigeria’s geological survey to guide us in mapping our resources. We want to learn from them and adapt their practices,” Camara said.
The session concluded with a collective commitment from member states to accelerate regional cooperation, strengthen governance frameworks, and promote sustainable value creation within Africa’s mineral sector.
