Cape Town, South Africa – 1 October 2025
The Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) officially opened the Ministerial Forum of the inaugural African Mining Week (AMW) 2025 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), with a powerful address delivered by H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of AMSG.
Speaking under the Forum’s theme, “From Extraction to Beneficiation: Unlocking Africa’s Mineral Wealth,” the Secretary-General called for a decisive shift from fragmented mineral exploitation toward coordinated African industrialization and mineral diplomacy.
A Call for Unity in Strategy and Stewardship
In his opening remarks, H.E. Engadu reminded delegates that Africa’s mineral sovereignty cannot be secured through isolated national strategies, stating:
“We gather not as isolated nations, but as one Africa – not merely for dialogue, but for direction. Unity is not a slogan; it is our comparative advantage in a world hungry for what Africa holds.”
– H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
H.E emphasized that Africa’s mineral endowment – including over 30% of global reserves of cobalt, lithium, graphite, rare earths and other critical minerals – positions the continent as indispensable to the global energy transition, electric mobility, and digital economies.
The central question, H.E Engadu declared, is no longer whether Africa will supply, but whether Africa will shape the future.
Strategic Vision of AMSG: From Soil to Sovereignty
The Secretary-General outlined the core pillars of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) as guiding principles for continental cooperation:
Collective African Mineral Diplomacy – Negotiating as one to set the terms of engagement, not accept them.
Strategic, Beneficial Partnerships – Beyond extraction permits toward commitments on industrialization, technology, local content, and skills transfer.
Mineral Value Addition and Beneficiation – Ensuring processing, refining, and manufacturing occurs on African soil.
Critical Minerals Security – Safeguarding Africa’s minerals through data, infrastructure, and digital traceability.
He further highlighted AMSG’s flagship tools – the Madini Blockchain Platform and the Africa Mineral Token (AMT) – as game-changing instruments for responsible sourcing transparency and Africa-led mineral financing.
“With the AMSG Madini Blockchain Platform, traceability becomes an African export – not a foreign imposition. With the Africa Mineral Token (AMT), tokenizing our mineral wealth allows Africa to finance Africa.” – H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
A Continental Mandate for Action
H.E. Engadu urged attending Ministers and policymakers to convert intentions into instruments:
Adopt a Continental Compact on Mineral Diplomacy through AMSG.
Fast-track beneficiation and value addition projects across member states,
Harmonize standards and infrastructure under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Embed Madini and AMT as digital backbones of traceable, investable mineral economies.
A Generational Turning Point
In closing, he issued a historic charge:
“History will not remember us for the minerals we discovered, but for the value we created with them.” – H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
With this call to action, the AMSG Secretary-General officially opened the Ministerial Forum of African Mining Week 2025, positioning it as a continental platform not merely for resource discussion – but for industrial revolution.
