AMSG Secretary-General Calls for Africa to Redefine Critical Minerals: “From Resources to Power”
H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, delivered a keynote address at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Exhibition 2026 calling for Africa to redefine critical minerals not merely as commodities, but as strategic national and continental assets. Under the theme “From Resources to Power,” he emphasized that Africa must define, process, finance and control the value of its mineral resources.
The keynote positioned critical minerals at the centre of Africa’s development, industrialisation, food security, infrastructure, technology and economic sovereignty agenda.
01. Keynote Message
The Secretary-General argued that the global definition of critical minerals remains incomplete when viewed from Africa’s perspective. While lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earths are essential to the energy transition, Africa must also define critical minerals according to its own development needs, including food security, housing, infrastructure, industrialisation and technology.
02. Key Highlights
- Called for Africa to redefine critical minerals as strategic national and continental assets.
- Emphasized that minerals must serve people, not just markets.
- Highlighted the importance of beneficiation, processing, refining and manufacturing.
- Positioned Africa as a strategic solution to global critical mineral supply chain insecurity.
- Called for investment structures, blended finance, data transparency and strategic partnerships.
- Urged Africa to take control of its narrative, value chains and mineral future.
03. Strategic Significance
The keynote advanced one of AMSG’s core institutional messages: Africa must move from being resource-rich to becoming value-rich. The Secretary-General stressed that value is not created in extraction alone, but in processing, refining, manufacturing, financing and controlling mineral value chains.
He further argued that investment in Africa’s processing capacity is not only an African opportunity, but a matter of global supply chain security at a time when critical mineral processing remains highly concentrated.
04. AMSG Institutional Message
The address reaffirmed the purpose of AMSG as a platform to bring African countries together, speak with one voice, negotiate with one strategy and build mineral value collectively. The Secretary-General emphasized that a divided Africa remains vulnerable, while a coordinated Africa can shape the future of global mineral supply chains.
05. Event Context
The keynote address titled “Redefining Critical Minerals: From Resources to Power” was delivered at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, on 29 April 2026.
