Tinubu Urges Africa to Take Charge of Mineral Wealth, Reform Global Financial System

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African nations to assert full control over their mineral resources and push for reforms in the global financial system that has long disadvantaged the continent.

Speaking through Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the Second Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in New York, held alongside the 80th UN General Assembly, Tinubu emphasized the urgent need for Africa to finance its mineral sector independently and strengthen its influence in global supply chains.

In a statement released by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu urged Africa to move beyond dependency on foreign capital. “We must take the bull by the horns in financing our future. With sovereign funds, blended vehicles, and innovative tools like the Africa Mineral Token, Africa shall finance Africa,” he said. He further stressed that Africa’s cobalt, lithium, graphite, gold, and rare earths should be protected and leveraged collectively as a continental bloc.

Tinubu outlined four strategic imperatives for Africa’s mineral-driven future:

1. Climbing the value chain: Ending the export of raw materials and building industries through beneficiation and green manufacturing.


2. Ownership of data: Standardizing and controlling geological knowledge through frameworks like AMREC and PARC.


3. Accelerated exploration: Prioritizing government-led mineral exploration, national geological mapping, and shared expertise across the continent.


4. Innovative financing: Driving development with sovereign funds and new financial tools.

He praised countries like Zimbabwe, Gabon, Kenya, and Nigeria for enforcing or initiating bans on raw mineral exports to promote local beneficiation, citing them as examples of Africa’s determination to build industries and create jobs.

Tinubu also commended Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Minister, Dr. Dele Alake, who chaired the roundtable, alongside Uganda’s Secretary-General Moses Michael Engadu, for guiding Africa’s mineral agenda.

Concluding, Tinubu pledged Nigeria’s full commitment to the AMSG’s mission, urging collective leadership and unity in building a mineral-led renaissance.

Other speakers, including UNDP’s Ahunna Eziakonwa and EU Commissioner Jozef Stkela, underscored the importance of partnerships, transparency, and technology transfer to ensure Africa benefits fully from its resources.