Tinubu To Africa: Stop Exporting Raw Minerals, Create Wealth At Home

President Bola Tinubu has called on African countries to stop exporting raw minerals and instead focus on processing, refining and industrialising their natural resources to unlock greater economic value for the continent.

The president made the call on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Tinubu said Africa must move beyond its long-standing role as a supplier of raw materials to the rest of the world and begin building industries capable of transforming its vast mineral wealth into jobs, technology and sustainable economic growth.

According to him, the continent can no longer afford a system where valuable resources are extracted and exported with little benefit returning to African economies.

“What we should do is avoid bureaucracy and deceit; we must put an end to exploitation,” Tinubu said.

“The rest of the world won’t mind if your country is a cesspit of dams and rubbish and excavates your raw materials without giving value.”

The president stressed that African countries must work collectively to strengthen their bargaining power in the global minerals market and ensure the continent gains more from its natural resources.

“It is our responsibility to collaborate and cooperate to ensure that these metals and minerals bring value to us, bring technology to us, and we can do it,” he added.

Tinubu argued that Africa's mineral resources should become the foundation for industrial development rather than serving as a source of cheap raw materials for foreign economies.

He urged governments across the continent to prioritise local processing, refining, manufacturing and technology transfer in order to create stronger domestic value chains.

According to him, such an approach would not only generate employment opportunities but also retain more wealth within African economies.

The president further called for increased investment in research, innovation and technical capacity to support a knowledge-driven mining sector capable of competing globally.

Speaking during the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said several African countries have already begun implementing policies aimed at encouraging local value addition and reducing dependence on raw mineral exports.

Alake, who chairs the African Minerals Strategy Group, said the organisation has embraced Tinubu’s vision of making local beneficiation and industrialisation central pillars of Africa’s mining strategy.

“You charged us that we should set our sails very high and ensure that local value addition is a pivot around which all the objectives of this organisation should revolve,” Alake said.

“So, sir, we have implemented your charge and we are gratified that today, local value addition is reverberating all over Africa.”

The minister noted that some African countries have already introduced restrictions on the export of raw minerals in a bid to encourage domestic processing and attract investment into local industries.

Alake said members of the African Minerals Strategy Group are currently in Abuja for the fifth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026).

The summit, themed "One Africa, One Resource Vision," is focused on promoting beneficiation, industrialisation and stronger continental cooperation in the management of mineral resources.

He said the organisation remains committed to ensuring African countries capture greater value from their resources and move away from the traditional model of exporting raw materials while importing finished products.

The minister added that the group would continue advocating policies designed to increase revenue, strengthen industrial capacity and position Africa as a major player in the global minerals value chain.

Tinubu's remarks come amid growing efforts across Africa to increase local processing of critical minerals and reduce dependence on foreign markets, as governments seek to maximise the economic benefits of the continent's vast natural resource wealth.