Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged G20 leaders to adopt a global framework that ensures African countries benefit from the extraction of critical minerals central to global energy transition, insisting that value addition must take place at the source rather than abroad.
Speaking at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President said critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements must become catalysts for Africa’s industrialization, not mere exports fueling foreign economies.
Tinubu stressed that fair extraction is essential for building a just global energy future.
“Nigeria calls for a global framework that promotes value addition at the source, supports local beneficiation, and ensures that communities hosting these resources are not left behind,” he said. “The issue before us reaches far beyond the narrow arithmetic of economics and speaks to the moral character of the world we aspire to build.”
The President emphasised that resource ownership alone does not guarantee prosperity unless exploitation is governed by fairness, transparency and accountability.
He added that Africa must not repeat historic patterns where mineral wealth leaves the continent but little value returns.
As the world accelerates green and digital transitions, Tinubu said the process must remain people-centred. “Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive, and sustainable,” he noted.
He disclosed that Nigeria is investing heavily in technology, digital literacy and youth skills under the Renewed Hope Agenda, positioning the country for future jobs linked to clean energy and emerging technologies.
On artificial intelligence, Tinubu backed a global ethical framework to prevent exploitation and inequality.
“Nigeria supports the creation of global ethical standards for AI that uphold safety, transparency, and equity,” he said. “We must ensure that AI becomes a tool of empowerment, not exclusion; of job creation, not displacement.”
He urged the G20 to deepen collaboration on technology transfer, capacity building and inclusive investments that prioritise human dignity over profit.
The President added that sustained dialogue is needed to ensure AI’s benefits are shared equitably while its risks are managed responsibly.
Tinubu also called for reforms to global financial systems that currently disadvantage the Global South. He argued that Africa cannot achieve meaningful development without a fairer financial architecture that addresses recurring debt crises and supports inclusive trade.
“Only a more equitable and more responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness and meet the needs of all nations,” he said, warning that rising debt burdens are pushing many economies into cycles of fragility.
He urged the G20 to place debt sustainability and responsible utilisation of critical minerals at the centre of its development agenda.
The President insisted that Africa must evolve into a continent of value creation, innovation and dignity in work, not merely a supplier of raw materials.
