Tinubu to chair Africa minerals summit in New York

President Bola Tinubu is set to lead a significant continental initiative to enhance Africa's value addition from its mineral wealth. 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.

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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.

The summit, convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), carries the theme "From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition." It aims to bring together African leaders, government representatives, global investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organizations, and executives from various industries. Tinubu, as the Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, will preside over the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa.

The meeting comes at a time when major global economies are actively seeking secure supplies of minerals essential for technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and defense systems. Africa possesses substantial deposits of key minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, and manganese.

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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.

Historically, the continent has largely exported its mineral resources in raw or minimally processed forms, allowing other regions to capture greater value from refining and manufacturing. The AMSG's New York meeting intends to shift this paradigm. The roundtable will focus on strategies for African countries to transition from the traditional extract-and-export model to building integrated mineral value chains. Key objectives include attracting transformative capital, strengthening continental cooperation, and securing a larger share of the economic value generated from Africa's mineral resources.

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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.