Tinubu leads fresh push for Africa's mineral wealth

President Bola Tinubu is spearheading a new continental initiative to ensure Africa benefits more from its vast mineral wealth, aiming to halt the export of raw materials and foster value addition on the continent. He will chair a high-level summit on critical minerals in New York on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting, convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), will bring together African leaders, government representatives, global investors, development finance institutions, and executives from mining, technology, and logistics sectors. The summit's theme, “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,” underscores the urgency as major economies intensify their search for minerals essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, AI, and defense technologies.

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Africa is set to make a major push for greater control over its critical minerals future as the Africa Minerals Strategy Group convenes its Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa in Manhattan, New York, on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Africa holds substantial deposits of critical minerals like lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese, and rare earth elements. Historically, however, the continent has exported these resources in raw or minimally processed forms, allowing other regions to capture the majority of the value generated through refining and manufacturing. The AMSG aims to shift this paradigm.

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The Roundtable will be chaired by His Excellency Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, underscoring Africa’s determination to place critical minerals at the centre of the continent’s industrial, economic and geopolitical agenda.

The New York roundtable will focus on strategies for African countries to transition from the traditional extract-and-export model. The goal is to build integrated mineral value chains, attract transformative capital, enhance continental cooperation, and secure a larger share of the economic benefits derived from Africa's mineral resources. This initiative builds upon the Mutual Assured Development framework launched earlier in 2026 at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja.

Tinubu, as Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, will lead discussions that highlight Africa's determination to place critical minerals at the core of its industrial, economic, and geopolitical agenda. The summit seeks to foster greater control over the continent's mineral future and ensure that Africa reaps the full rewards of its natural endowments.

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The Roundtable will focus on how African countries can move beyond the traditional extract-and-export model to build integrated mineral value chains, attract transformative capital, strengthen continental cooperation and secure a greater share of the economic value generated from Africa’s mineral resources.