By Eshioromeh Sebastian
President Bola Tinubu will take the helm of a crucial continental gathering on critical minerals next month, as African leaders push to end the decades-old practice of exporting the continent’s mineral resources in raw form.
The high-level roundtable, convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, is scheduled for September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York.
As Chairman of the AMSG General Assembly, Tinubu will preside over the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa. The session will draw a diverse array of participants, including African heads of state, government delegates, mining ministers, global investors, development finance institutions, multilateral agencies, and industry executives from the mining, technology and logistics sectors.
Themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,” the summit comes at a time when major global economies are locked in intense competition for secure supplies of minerals essential to electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure and defence technologies.
According to a statement from the AMSG, Tinubu’s role as chair underscores Africa’s resolve to position critical minerals at the heart of the continent’s industrial and geopolitical strategy.
Africa is endowed with vast reserves of lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earth elements — all of which are in high demand globally. Yet, the continent has consistently exported these resources with little local processing, allowing other regions to reap the bulk of the economic benefits from refining, manufacturing and finished goods.
The AMSG said the New York meeting aims to shift that dynamic by fostering local processing, manufacturing and regional integration of mineral value chains.
Discussions will centre on moving African nations away from the traditional extract-and-export approach, attracting sustainable investment, deepening continental cooperation, and ensuring that Africa retains a larger share of the wealth generated from its own resources.
New continental framework to be unveiled
The summit will advance the Mutual Assured Development framework first introduced at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja earlier this year.
African leaders are expected to unveil the proposed Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration, a blueprint for policy coordination, investment mobilisation, local beneficiation, supply-chain resilience and strengthening Africa’s collective bargaining power in the global minerals market.
A key feature of the declaration is the proposed CIEAD Finance Window, which aims to raise capital for mineral processing plants, infrastructure projects, technology acquisition and other enablers of competitive value chains within Africa.
The AMSG described the New York meeting as a critical turning point, moving the conversation from strategy to implementation.
The roundtable will be steered by the AMSG leadership, including Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who heads the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, and the group’s Secretary-General, Moses Michael Engadu.
Also expected to participate are the Africa Finance Corporation, multilateral development banks, and private-sector stakeholders spanning mining operations, mineral traceability, technology and logistics.
Founded in January 2024 by African governments, the AMSG is a continental intergovernmental body dedicated to coordinating critical minerals policy, aligning investment, ensuring mineral security and shaping Africa’s engagement with international partners.
Its overarching goal is to help Africa assert greater control over its mineral endowment and secure a fairer share of the value derived from the resources powering the global energy and digital transitions.
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