Africa Must Lead In Mineral-based Industrialisation – Alake

Minister of Solid Minerals Development and president of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Dr Dele Alake, has called for a bold caller imaginativeness to reposition Africa arsenic a planetary hub for mineral processing, innovation and greenish industrialisation.

“Africa’s minerals person powered industrialisation elsewhere, portion our economies stay under-industrialised. This paradox indispensable end. Our imaginativeness indispensable beryllium clear: to determination from extractive dependence to transformative industrialisation,” Alake said.

According to a connection by his peculiar adjunct connected media, Segun Tomori, connected Sunday, the curate called during his keynote code astatine African Mining Week successful Cape Town, South Africa.

The event, themed “Vision & Strategy—Setting the Stage for Minerals Industrialisation,” brought unneurotic cardinal stakeholders from the continent’s mining sector.

Represented by the ministry’s imperishable secretary, Dr Farouk Yabo, Alake underscored Africa’s strategical value successful powering the 21st-century planetary economy, stressing that the continent holds immoderate of the richest mineral deposits successful the world.

“These resources are captious to cleanable energy, integer technologies, precocious manufacturing, and planetary security,” helium said.

He emphasised the urgency of industrialising African economies by leveraging their mineral wealth.

“Our younker should nary longer question jobs overseas portion opportunities prevarication beneath them. The clip to industrialise is now. Let america acceptable the signifier for an Africa that is not conscionable a subordinate successful the planetary minerals economy, but a operator of its future.”

Providing penetration into Nigeria’s ongoing reforms, the curate noted that the state prioritises section beneficiation — from golden refining to lithium processing — to determination beyond earthy worldly exports.

He listed cardinal reforms, including revocation of dormant mining licences to incentivise superior investment, strengthening governance and transparency to pull credible planetary partners, processing a National Critical Minerals Strategy, and amending the 2007 Minerals and Mining Act to supply a stronger ineligible model for investment.

“We are investing successful digitising mining processes, from information accessibility to mineral traceability,” helium said.

“We are besides focused connected bequeathing beardown institutions and the close policies to thrust reforms.”

He further emphasised Nigeria’s committedness to ensuring traceability successful the mineral worth chain:

“Our minerals volition travel from 2 sources only: licensed holders, oregon a seller and supplier buying from artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) who are registered and formalised.”

According to the statement, Alake besides participated successful the Ministerial Roundtable of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) connected the sidelines of the conference, wherever helium highlighted Nigeria’s ambition to lend importantly to the continent’s maturation by targeting a $1 trillion system by 2030.

Echoing sentiments shared by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), helium stressed the value of mapping mineral resources crossed African countries.

“After nationalist mapping, it is the work of countries to guarantee lone licensed operators are mining. We indispensable besides physique capable capableness for effectual supervision.”

Nigeria besides participated successful the Country Spotlight Session. Dr Yabo delivered a presumption connected concern opportunities successful Nigeria’s coagulated minerals sector, highlighting the country’s mineral endowments, capitalist incentives, and ongoing reforms.

The African Mining Week drew information from mining and minerals ministers of the DRC, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone. Nigeria, The Gambia, and Ghana sent representatives, alongside large backstage assemblage players from crossed the continent.