Nigeria's Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has issued a fresh call for African countries to abandon their long-standing reliance on raw mineral exports and instead pursue value addition, industrialisation and stronger regional collaboration as the continent seeks to unlock the full economic potential of its natural resource wealth.

Speaking at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) in Abuja, held under the theme "One Africa, One Resource Vision," Alake argued that Africa's mineral wealth should no longer simply flow outward as raw material, only to return as expensive finished products. He described the continued export of unprocessed minerals alongside the importation of manufactured goods as an unsustainable cycle that has denied the continent the full economic benefit of its own resources.

The minister was emphatic that value addition should be understood as more than an aspirational talking point. He characterised it instead as a genuine development imperative β€” one capable of creating jobs for Africa's youth population, driving industrial growth, expanding government revenues, and positioning African economies more competitively within emerging global industries tied to critical minerals and the broader energy transition.

Alake pointed to the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains as a rare strategic opening for African nations, though he cautioned that capturing this opportunity would require more than ambition. He stressed that countries would need to commit to policy consistency, improved governance, environmental responsibility, and investment-friendly regulatory environments in order to attract the kind of long-term capital needed to build out local processing infrastructure.

Central to the minister's message was a call for greater continental unity. He argued that a fragmented approach among African nations weakens their collective bargaining power in global markets, while a coordinated, unified strategy would significantly strengthen the continent's leverage. To that end, Alake urged member countries to harmonise mining regulations, invest in cross-border infrastructure, and deepen intra-African trade under the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area. He also highlighted the growing role of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), which he chairs, as a platform for driving this kind of coordinated continental action.

The push for local value addition has increasingly become a signature policy theme for Nigeria's federal government more broadly, with President Bola Tinubu previously echoing similar calls, urging African nations to end what he described as the exploitation inherent in exporting raw materials while importing finished goods. Alake has credited that presidential direction with inspiring policy shifts across the continent, noting that a number of African countries have already moved to restrict or ban the export of unprocessed minerals altogether.

Beyond the policy rhetoric, the Abuja summit also produced tangible commercial outcomes, drawing over $600 million in investment interest since its inception, alongside new agreements such as a memorandum of understanding between the Africans for Africa Initiative and a private mining company aimed at accelerating development of Nigeria's lithium and rare earth mineral resources. For Alake, the message to fellow African leaders was clear: the continent, in his words, must stop exporting prosperity while importing poverty β€” a shift he insists is achievable, but only through sustained, collective effort rather than isolated national policies.