Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Africa is intensifying efforts to position its critical minerals sector as an attractive investment destination, with a renewed focus on governance, financing structures, and coordinated policy alignment among mineral-producing countries.
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, said African countries must work collectively to unlock real economic value from their mineral resources, warning that minerals alone will not deliver sustainable growth without deliberate planning and investment-ready frameworks.
Alake said these following his re-election as the Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG, reinforcing Africa’s push to coordinate mineral governance, financing, and value addition as countries seek to extract greater economic returns from their vast mineral resources.
“African countries must work together to get real value from our mineral resources,” Alake said.
He explained that a key priority is establishing clear financial commitments, accountability mechanisms, and a proper budget framework to enable credible mineral-sector platforms capable of engaging investors.
“That means agreeing on basic contributions, being accountable to one another, and putting a proper budget framework in place so the platform can function credibly and effectively,” he said.
Alake noted that governance reforms are central to building investor confidence, stressing that Africa must move beyond fragmented approaches to mineral development if it intends to compete globally in critical minerals supply chains.
Beyond governance, the minister said mineral extraction alone is insufficient to drive transformation, pointing to the need for supporting infrastructure, aligned policies, and deliberate value addition across the continent.
“Minerals alone won’t transform our economies,” Alake said.
“We need infrastructure, aligned policies, and deliberate value addition.”
He added that the continent’s real challenge lies in designing financing and governance models that attract long-term capital while supporting economic stability and shared prosperity.
“The real work is designing financing and governance that attract investment while supporting long-term growth, stability, and shared prosperity across the continent,” he said.
The push comes as Africa seeks to reposition its vast mineral endowments, especially critical minerals, from raw extraction toward structured, investment-driven development capable of supporting industrial growth and global energy transition demands.
