The Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) His Excellency Moses Micheal Engadu has called for Sustainable Development of Africa’s Natural Resources for Socio-Economic Transformation and Economic Freedom of Africa during the opening address of the Ministerial Roundtable of the 3rd African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit on 16th July 2024 at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja Nigeria.
The Secretary-General welcomed the distinguished participants to the Ministerial Roundtable convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group in partnership with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Core International to champion African solidarity and unity and to advance a Common African voice and agenda on the critical need for Africa to maximumly benefit from her vast natural resources.
The Africa Minerals Strategy Group was established as a strategic vehicle to deliver Africa to Economic Freedom, born out of necessity to snatch development from the jaws of exploitation; born to reclaim respect and human dignity from the underdevelopment that mineral exploitation is inflicting on the Human and Environmental Geography of our Continent,” said His Excellency Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group
The primary purpose of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group is to facilitate International Cooperation in the minerals and mining sector among Member African Nations and work closely with interested nations and strategic partners to harness the great potential of Africa’s vast natural resources to spur the socio-economic transformation and prosperity of our countries and continent.
His Excellency Moses Micheal Engadu noted that the Africa Minerals Strategy Group was founded to coordinate, advance and protect Africa’s strategic interests especially the local beneficiation (value addition) of our Minerals to create jobs for our young people, spur industrialization and boost African economies.
We are doing this through among others promoting collaboration, resource sharing and organizing strategic events and action oriented dialogues such as Ministerial Roundtables,” stated H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group
His Excellency Moses Micheal Engadu emphasised that the Ministerial Roundtable offers us a collective opportunity to exchange experiences, share lessons learned, provide policy guidance and agree on transformative actions and initiatives to achieve the sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources and leverage these vast natural resources for economic development.
“We shall have an interactive discussion and I invite you all to actively contribute to this very important action-oriented dialogue where you will all have an opportunity to respond to any matters raised and to make main points, recommendations and commitments,” said H.E Engadu
He added that the outcome of the Ministerial Roundtable will be a summary report on the main points raised, recommendations and commitments made towards achieving Sustainable Development of Africa’s Natural Resources and in answering the guiding questions of the roundtable. Therefore, while giving your input, we shall very much appreciate your emphasis on your recommendations and commitments, since the strategic intent of this Ministerial Roundtable is to “Move from Talk to Action”.
The Ministerial Roundtable was guided by the following four key questions, from which the main points, recommendations and commitments were derived:
- How can Africa’s natural resources fuel economic prosperity, empower marginalized communities, and break the cycle of debt and aid dependency thereby funding the energy transition plans and ushering in a greener Africa?
- How do we achieve local beneficiation of African Critical Minerals to power the global energy transition and Africa’s prosperity?
- How can African Governments and Private Sector work together to address the key enablers for local beneficiation, notably access to finance; policy alignment; infrastructure development; transparent supply chains; capacity building; and reducing carbon emissions through new technology?
- How do we move from “Talk to Action” (Commitments)?
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Honourable Dr. Dele Alake, who chairs the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), urged member-countries to ensure control of their mineral resources, leveraging the global shift to green energy to maximize the benefits of its mineral resources. Dr. Alake highlighted the importance of Africa judiciously exploiting its natural resources and effectively utilizing the generated revenue for the benefit of its citizens
Dr. Alake emphasised the Ministerial Roundtable’s role in fostering dialogue, sharing knowledge, and strengthening the African Minerals Strategy Group’s (AMSG) focus on value addition for rapid economic development.
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,“ said Dr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Urging his colleagues to take a cue from Nigeria, Dr. Alake made a case for local content, mandating substantial indigenous representation in mining operations
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’ve introduced initiatives like intra-Africa trade, and I believe that we can not do this effectively without the active collaboration of our private sector, across board,” asserted Dr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Malawi’s Minister of Mining Honourable Monica Chang’anamuno called for concrete plans for infrastructure development, critical for mineral resource development, and advocated for collaboration based on comparative advantages among African countries.
Chadian Deputy Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Geology, Honourable Oumar Djime Moussa, proposed the creation of an African fund for exploration, development of continental expertise in the mining value chain, and centers of excellence for innovation and clean technologies.
Other speakers emphasized the need for commitment to agreements and enhanced collaboration to harness the continent’s natural resources for shared prosperity.
Giving a glimpse into the action plan of the AMSG, Secretary-General H.E Moses Micheal Engadu announced the upcoming launch of the “Africans for Africa” initiative, aimed at mobilizing Africans and people of African descent to participate in the economic development of the continent. He also announced the establishment of the Africa Minerals Development Fund (AMDF) by AMSG.
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”, said H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group
Countries represented at the Ministerial Roundtable include Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Liberia, and Chad. 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.