The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group, Dr. Dele Alake, has urged a bold new vision to reposition Africa from a mere exporter of raw minerals into a global hub for mineral processing, innovation, and green industrialisation.

Speaking at the African Mining Week in Cape Town, South Africa, themed “Vision & Strategy: Setting the Stage for Minerals Industrialisation,” Alake said Africa’s mineral wealth has long driven industrial growth elsewhere while its own economies remain under-industrialised — a paradox that must be addressed through transformative development.

He emphasised that Africa, endowed with some of the world’s richest mineral deposits, holds a strategic role in driving the 21st-century economy, noting that these resources are vital to clean energy, digital innovation, advanced manufacturing, and global security.

“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, the Alake stated.

Shedding light on Nigeria’s ongoing mining sector reforms, the minister, represented by Permanent Secretary, Farouk Yabo, said the government is implementing measures to boost competitiveness and sustainability.

These include promoting local beneficiation from gold refining to lithium processing, revoking inactive licences to encourage genuine investors, enhancing transparency and governance to attract reputable global partners, and formulating a national critical minerals strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s role in the global minerals market.

Meanwhile, Alake spoke at the ministerial roundtable of the African Minerals Strategy Group held on the sidelines of the mining week, where he highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

“We are investing in digitising mining processes from data accessibility to mineral traceability. We are also focusing on bequeathing strong institutions and the right policies to drive reforms, hence the ongoing efforts to amend the 2007 Minerals and Mining Act to provide a more robust legislative framework that will propel investments in the mining sector,” he said.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring full traceability across the mining value chain—from extraction to monetisation—stating that all minerals would originate from two legitimate sources: licensed operators or registered and formalised Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASM).

Aligning with the position of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Alake further urged African nations to prioritise comprehensive resource mapping to gain clearer insight into the location, scale, and potential of their mineral deposits.

“After national mapping, it is the duty of countries to ensure only licensed operators are mining. We must also build adequate capacity for effective supervision,” he said.