By Ayomide Otitoju
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to end decades of exporting raw mineral resources without capturing sufficient value through processing, industrialisation and manufacturing.
Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the Third Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-Level Roundtable in New York, said Africa could not consider itself wealthy while communities located around mineral deposits remained impoverished.
He called for greater continental coordination, warning African countries against competing for investment by offering lower royalties, weaker local-content requirements and excessive concessions.
Instead, he advocated integrated markets, regional processing hubs and cross-border mineral corridors to provide Africa with greater scale and strengthen its position in global mineral supply chains.
Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s mining reforms, including efforts to promote local value addition, improve geological information, formalise artisanal mining and combat illegal mining.
He also cited rising mining revenues and investments in lithium processing in Nasarawa State as examples of the opportunities available through domestic mineral beneficiation.
The Vice President backed the AMSG’s Mutual Assured Development (MADE) Framework, saying governments must provide predictable policies and credible institutions, while investors should bring responsible capital, technology transfer, local value creation and long-term commitment.
He also called for the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration to move beyond its signing into an implementation programme with clear timelines, financing and accountability.
Shettima said the success of Africa’s mineral strategy should ultimately be reflected in roads, railways, factories, competitive African businesses, skilled employment and improved livelihoods in mining communities.
“Mineral resources alone do not guarantee prosperity,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and AMSG Chairman, Dele Alake, proposed the establishment of an African Artisanal Mining Formalisation and Safety Facility.
Alake said the proposed facility would help address the risks associated with informal mining, which he linked to recent fatalities from mining-site collapses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Sudan.
He said the facility could support member states in accelerating cooperative formation and licensing, providing geological assistance, improving access to safer equipment, delivering occupational health and safety training, supporting environmental rehabilitation and strengthening emergency preparedness in artisanal mining areas.
The meeting was attended by African ministers from member countries, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and executives from mining, technology and mineral-processing companies.
A representative of the United States government and Special Adviser to the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Chris Kulukundis, also expressed the US government’s readiness to partner with African countries to develop the continent’s mineral resources.
A major highlight of the meeting was the signing of the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration by member countries.
The declaration is expected to establish a framework for continental cooperation on critical minerals, including mineral value addition and policy coordination.
