Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to stop relying on the export of raw mineral resources and instead develop local processing and manufacturing industries to retain more economic value on the continent.
Shettima made the call on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, while representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting, themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,” brought together African governments, investors and other stakeholders in the mining sector.
Shettima argued that Africa’s abundant mineral deposits should translate into tangible economic benefits for its people, particularly through jobs, industrial development and improved living standards.
He warned against a system in which African countries export raw minerals only to import finished products manufactured from those same resources at significantly higher prices.
According to the Vice President, African countries need to strengthen cooperation on mineral governance, increase local processing capacity and develop industries around minerals that are increasingly important to the global economy.
He also urged members of the AMSG to develop bankable projects capable of attracting investment into mineral processing, manufacturing and other value-adding activities.
Shettima said such investments should generate employment and ensure that communities where minerals are extracted receive greater economic benefits from the resources located in their areas.
The Vice President further called for stronger continental cooperation to improve Africa’s bargaining position in global mineral supply chains. The AMSG is working towards measures including harmonised mining policies, shared infrastructure, regional processing hubs and improved geological data systems.
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the AMSG, Dele Alake, also addressed the meeting, focusing on the need to reform the continent’s approach to artisanal mining.
Alake argued that African governments should distinguish between artisanal miners who depend on mining for their livelihoods and criminal operators involved in illegal mining. He called for a regulatory framework that would allow legitimate artisanal miners to operate legally and safely while maintaining sanctions against illegal mining.
He also highlighted the need for better safety standards, training, equipment, financing and government oversight in the artisanal mining sector.
The discussions come amid broader efforts across Africa to capture more value from the continent’s mineral resources. The African Development Bank has similarly called for greater local processing, regional value chains and beneficiation of critical minerals as part of Africa’s industrialisation strategy.
Shettima’s intervention therefore placed greater local value creation at the centre of Africa’s mineral development agenda, with the emphasis shifting from simply extracting and exporting resources to using them as a foundation for industrialisation, employment and broader economic development.