African Ministers of solid minerals, have resolved to stop raw mineral exports in order to boost value addition in the sector with stiffer measures in place. The resolution is coming on the heels of Ministerial Roundtable during the flag off of the annual Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit, AFNIS, in Abuja. Meanwhile, part of the stiffer measures to be out in place by the Ministers to boost value addition on solid minerals include an upward review of licence fees, royalties and charges, support for indigenous miners, and value addition as a condition for licences. Alake, Nigeria’s minister of Solid Mineral who doubles as Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group, urged member-countries to ensure control of their mineral resources, leveraging the global shift to green energy and maximise the benefits of its mineral resources. He also pointed out that the Summit is basically organised to foster dialogue, knowledge and experience sharing, strengthen AMSG’ s focus on value addition on solid minerals in order to catalyse rapid economic growth and development to the benefit of all citizens. Alake reemphasised the importance of Africa’s commitment to judiciously exploit its God-given natural resources and effective utilisation of revenue generated to transform the lives of their citizens. The theme of the 2024 Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit, AFNIS, is ‘Sustainable Development for Africa’s Natural Resources’. Countries represented at the Ministerial Roundtable include Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Liberia, and Chad.
Also Nigeria’s Minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Abubakar Audu; Minister of State, Uba Maigari; and Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako, along with other continental private sector players, were also in attendance. He said “The Africa Natural Resources & Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) is another opportunity to further consolidate our ideas and put them in motion towards attaining our stated objectives. “I hope that at the end of our deliberations, Africa will know and recognise our seriousness. We are confident that through the support of Ministers here present, we can get the endorsement of our heads of state for necessary policy actions.” However, he urged his colleagues to learn and take a cue from Nigeria on local content, which the Tinubu-led administration had mandated substantial indigenous representation in mining operations in Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, we have a policy that we refrain from granting licenses to foreigners wholly; there must be a Nigerian partner. This is a policy other African countries should adopt. Since the inception of AMSG, we have introduced initiatives like intra-Africa trade, and I believe that we cannot do this effectively without the active collaboration of our private sector, across board,” the Minister pointed. Also, in a remark, the Secretary-General, AMSG, Moses Engadu from Uganda, noted that the theme of the Summit, ‘Sustainable Development for Africa’s Natural Resources’, serves as as a strong platform for the participants to exchange experiences, suggestions, ideas, policy guidance that would spur the continent to transformative actions and resilience toward sustainable development and change the narrative in the solid minerals sector. AMSG’s Secretary-General disclosed action plan of the organisation about an upcoming launch tagged ‘Africa for Africans’ initiative, basically to focus on innovative programmes and projects mainly for mineral resource development and the establishment of the Africa Minerals Development Fund (AMDF). According to him, “This fund, inspired by Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), will be championed by Nigeria and structured to assist local miners across the continent access required funding.” Leading a cross-section of ministers in presentations, the Malawian Minister of Mining, Monica Chang’anamuno, called for concrete plans for infrastructure development, which is critical for mineral resource development.
Chang’anamuno in her presentation strongly advocated for collaboration in the solid minerals sector based on comparative advantages among African countries, and added that synergy and sustainability will unlock the untapped potential in different value chains in the sector. In another presentation, the Chadian Deputy Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Geology, Oumar Moussa, proposed the creation of an African fund for exploration, development of continental expertise in the mining value chain, and centres of excellence for innovation and clean technologies that would galvanise the sector. Other speakers emphasised the need for commitment to agreements and enhanced collaboration to harness the continent’s natural resources for shared prosperity without delay and avoid another talk shop.
