Tinubu calls on African nations to process minerals locally and boost economy

President Bola Tinubu has urged African countries to come together and stop the exploitation of the continent’s mineral resources. He wants to see more value gained through local processing and industrial growth.

The president made this statement on Tuesday when he met with a group from the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the State House in Abuja.

AMSG is a group of African ministers in charge of mining and solid minerals. President Tinubu is the Grand Patron of this group, while Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, is the chair.

While speaking to the delegation, the president emphasized that African nations must improve their bargaining power in the global minerals market. He pointed out the need to stop exporting raw materials without getting significant benefits for their economies.

"What we should do is avoid bureaucracy and deceit; we must put an end to exploitation," Mr Tinubu said.

He added, "The rest of the world won’t mind if your country is a cesspit of dams and rubbish and excavates your raw materials without giving value."

According to him, Africa’s mineral wealth should drive industrial growth, create jobs, and improve living standards across the continent.

"It is our responsibility to collaborate and cooperate to ensure that these metals and minerals bring value to us, bring technology to us, and we can do it," he said.

The president stressed that African countries should invest more in research, refining, and technology. This will help them get the most out of their natural resources.

He said the time for exporting raw minerals without local processing must end. Instead, African nations should focus on building local industries and value chains.

This approach would keep more wealth in Africa and support long-term economic change.

President Tinubu also called for better cooperation among African countries to build a knowledge-based economy around the continent’s natural resources.

During the meeting, Mr Alake mentioned that many African countries are already making policies to encourage local value addition in the mining sector.

"You charged us that we should set our sails very high and ensure that local value addition is a pivot around which all the objectives of this organisation should revolve," the minister said.

He continued, "So, sir, we have implemented your charge, and we are gratified that today, local value addition is reverberating all over Africa."

Mr Alake shared that some member countries have even banned the export of raw minerals to encourage domestic processing and industrial growth.

The minister explained that AMSG members are in Abuja for the fifth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026).

The summit, themed "One Africa, One Resource Vision," aims to focus on beneficiation, industrialization, and stronger cooperation among African countries in managing mineral resources.

He also highlighted that the group is committed to protecting Africa’s interests and increasing the value and revenue generated from the continent’s mineral wealth. The minister concluded by stating that the organization will continue to push policies that ensure African countries gain more from their natural resources, rather than just being suppliers of raw materials.