President Bola Tinubu is set to lead a high-level African initiative aimed at ensuring the continent derives greater economic value from its critical mineral resources as he chairs a summit in New York next month. According to a report by Punch, the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in……
President Bola Tinubu is set to lead a high-level African initiative aimed at ensuring the continent derives greater economic value from its critical mineral resources as he chairs a summit in New York next month.
According to a report by Punch, the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa will hold on September 21, 2026, in Manhattan, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Tinubu, who chairs the Africa Minerals Strategy Group General Assembly, will lead the meeting, which is expected to bring together African leaders and government representatives, ministers, investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and executives from the mining, technology and logistics sectors.
The summit, convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, is themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition.”
The meeting comes amid growing global demand for critical minerals used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and defence technologies.
Africa is home to significant deposits of minerals including lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earth elements. However, the continent has traditionally exported much of its mineral wealth in raw or minimally processed form, limiting the economic benefits derived from refining, manufacturing and other downstream activities.
The AMSG said the New York roundtable would seek to change the pattern by promoting greater mineral processing and manufacturing within Africa while strengthening cooperation across the continent.
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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,” the group said.
The summit will also mark the next phase of the Mutual Assured Development framework launched earlier this year at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja.
African leaders and policymakers are expected to unveil the proposed Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration at the New York meeting.
The proposed declaration will focus on policy coordination, investment mobilisation, local value addition, supply-chain security and strengthening Africa’s negotiating position in the global minerals market.
Another key component is the proposed CIEAD Finance Window, which is designed to mobilise funding for mineral processing, infrastructure, technology and other sectors required to develop competitive mineral value chains within Africa.
The AMSG said the initiative would move the continent from policy discussions towards concrete investment and implementation.
“Building on the Mutual Assured Development Framework, the New York gathering will mark a transition from strategic dialogue to structural execution,” the group said.
The roundtable will be convened by the leadership of the AMSG, including the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who chairs the group’s Ministerial Steering Committee, and its Secretary-General, Moses Michael Engadu.
The Africa Finance Corporation, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and private-sector companies involved in mining, technology, mineral traceability and logistics are also expected to participate.
Established in January 2024 by African governments, the Africa Minerals Strategy Group is a continental intergovernmental organisation focused on coordinating critical minerals policy, investment alignment, minerals security and Africa’s engagement with international partners.
The group aims to strengthen Africa’s control over its mineral resources and ensure that the continent captures a larger share of the economic value generated from the minerals driving the emerging global economy.
