Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Second Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) High-Level Roundtable, held on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City, Tinubu emphasized that Africa must no longer wait for external capital, but instead mobilize its own resources and partnerships to drive mineral development.

“We must take the bull by the horns in financing our future. Africa shall finance Africa with sovereign funds, blended financial vehicles, and innovative tools like the Africa Mineral Token,” Tinubu declared.

He called for the continent to act as a united bloc to protect and control critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, graphite, gold, and rare earth, which are increasingly vital to global industries and clean energy transitions.

Tinubu urged African nations to climb the value chain, adding, “We must end the ignoble cycle of exporting rocks and importing finished goods. From beneficiation to green manufacturing, Africa must build industries on African soil.”

The President continued, “Second, I am proud to announce that with the African Minerals and Energy Resource Classification (AMREC), and the Pan-African Resource Reporting Code (PARC), we will no longer beg for geological knowledge of our own land. Africa’s data will be mapped, standardized, and owned by Africans.

“Third, data alone is not enough. We must accelerate government-led mineral exploration and national geological mapping.

“Without exploration, there is no sovereignty. Without mapping, there is no value. Every member state must prioritize country-wide surveys, strengthen geological agencies, and pool expertise through AMSG. For when Africa owns the map, Africa owns the future.”

Fourthly, President Tinubu urged African leaders to take the bull by the horns in financing Africa’s future. “With sovereign funds, blended vehicles, and innovative tools like the Africa Mineral Token, Africa shall finance Africa,” the President maintained.

The President commended several African countries, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Gabon, and Ghana for implementing bans or restrictions on raw mineral exports, describing them as “historic acts of courage” aimed at fostering domestic beneficiation and job creation.

He pledged Nigeria’s full support for the AMSG and its vision of a mineral-driven industrial renaissance on the continent.

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Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, who chaired the roundtable, stressed the importance of unity, transparency, and shared expertise in maximizing the benefits of Africa’s mineral wealth.

UNDP Regional Director Ahunna Eziakonwa urged African leaders to prioritize partnerships that ensure value creation at home, cautioning against continued exploitation of resources without adequate returns for African citizens.

Also speaking, European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Stkela, noted that the EU had signed several strategic raw material partnerships, including four with African nations under its Critical Raw Materials Act and Global Gateway Strategy.

The roundtable concluded with a call for coordinated leadership, a clear action framework, and a renewed spirit of unity among African nations in asserting control over the continent’s mineral future.

Source: Channel