Africa Must Process its Minerals, Shettima Tells Leaders

Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has urged African countries to end decades of exporting mineral resources without capturing enough value through processing, industrialisation and manufacturing.

Shettima made the call on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the Third Africa Minerals Strategy Group High-Level Roundtable in New York.

He said Africa could not consider itself wealthy while communities located around mineral deposits continued to experience poverty.

The Vice President called for greater continental coordination, warning African countries against competing for investments 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 help Africa achieve 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 tackle 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 Africa Minerals Strategy Group’s Mutual Assured Development Framework, which requires governments to provide predictable policies and credible institutions, while investors are expected to deliver responsible capital, technology transfer, local value addition and sustained investment.

Shettima also called for the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration to move beyond its signing ceremony and become an implementation programme with clear timelines, financing and accountability.

He said the success of Africa’s mineral strategy should ultimately be reflected in improved roads and railways, factories, competitive African businesses, skilled jobs and better living conditions in mining communities.

“Mineral resources alone do not guarantee prosperity,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the AMSG, Dele Alake, proposed the establishment of an African Artisanal Mining Formalisation and Safety Facility.

Alake said the initiative would help address the dangers associated with informal mining, which he linked to several deadly mining-site collapses across Africa.

He said the facility could assist member states with cooperative formation and licensing, basic geological support, access to safer equipment, occupational health and safety training, environmental rehabilitation and emergency preparedness in major artisanal mining areas.

The meeting was attended by African ministers from member countries, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and executives from mining, technology and processing companies.

A representative of the United States Government and Special Adviser to the US State Department on the 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 continental framework for cooperation on critical minerals, including mineral value addition and policy coordination.