The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group, Dele Alake, has issued a strong call to African leaders, urging them to reposition the continent’s mineral wealth as the foundational bedrock of a new wave of transformative industrialization.
Delivering a keynote address at the ongoing African Mining Week in Cape Town, South Africa, Alake stressed that Africa must end the paradox of supplying raw minerals to fuel industrial growth abroad while its own nations remain under-industrialized at home.
In a statement signed and released by his media aide, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja, the Minister summarized his vision, saying: “Africa’s minerals have powered industrialisation elsewhere while our own economies remain under-industrialised. This paradox must end. Our vision must be clear: to move from extractive dependence to transformative industrialisation.”
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Farouk Yabo, Alake outlined Nigeria’s sweeping reform agenda in the mining sector.
This agenda includes local beneficiation ranging from gold refining to lithium processing, the revocation of dormant licenses, strengthening governance and transparency, and the formulation of a national critical minerals strategy.
Alake emphasized that Africa holds some of the world’s richest deposits of minerals critical to clean energy, digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and global security. He urged governments to stop the brain drain of African youths, stressing that opportunities lie “beneath their feet.”
The Minister declared: “Our youth should no longer seek jobs abroad while opportunities lie buried beneath their feet. The time to industrialise is now. Let us set the stage for an Africa that is not just a participant in the global minerals economy, but a driver of its future.”
On Nigeria’s domestic efforts, Alake disclosed that government reforms include digitizing mining processes for data accessibility and mineral traceability, strengthening institutional frameworks, and amending the 2007 Minerals and Mining Act to provide a stronger legal foundation for investments.
He affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring full traceability in its minerals value chain, stressing that legitimate resources will only come from licensed operators or formalized artisanal and small-scale miners.
Speaking further at the ministerial roundtable of the African Minerals Strategy Group, Alake reiterated Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030, with mining as a key driver.
Echoing the concerns of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he urged African states to prioritize comprehensive mapping of their mineral deposits, insisting that such exercises are necessary to prevent illegal exploitation and to strengthen regulatory oversight.
He added a clear directive on compliance: “Africa must ensure that only licensed operators are mining. We must also build adequate capacity for effective supervision.”
Nigeria’s delegation also participated in the country spotlight session, where the Permanent Secretary showcased investment opportunities in the solid minerals sector, highlighting incentives for global investors and underscoring the nation’s mineral endowments.
The African Mining Week drew participation from ministers of mining from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, as well as representatives from Nigeria, Gambia, and Ghana. Industry leaders and major private sector players across the continent also attended the conference.
