Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, was unanimously elected as the inaugural chairman of the newly established Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), marking a significant milestone in the global mining sector for Nigeria. During the resolution signing ceremony held on the sidelines of the 30th edition of Investing in Africa Indaba, in Cape Town, South Africa, Alake urged African leaders to collaborate effectively to ensure the optimal utilization of the continent’s mineral resources.
Attended by ministers from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad, Botswana, Zambia, and Namibia, the event garnered support from over 15 nations, with expectations of further growth under Nigeria’s leadership. Alake emphasized the importance of value addition in the mining sector and called for unity among African countries to assert their control over mineral resources and attract investments. He added, “Today, there is an economic scramble for Africa. The critical metals needed for the energy transition are in Africa. Therefore, if we do not come together this time around and take our destinies into our own hands, we will go through the same harrowing experiences of the past.”
The formation of the AMSG follows Nigeria and Uganda’s initiative to rally African Ministers of Solid Minerals/Mineral Resources on the need for unity and championing value addition in the mining sector to bolster the economy of African nations.
