At the AFNIS 2025 Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) convened a landmark high-level panel under the theme: “Charting a New Course for Africa’s Mineral Wealth.”
Opening the session, AMSG Secretary-General H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu declared:
There comes a time in the journey of a continent when new institutions must rise, not out of convenience, but out of necessity. AMSG was born from urgency.
– H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
This urgency stems from Africa’s paradox: holding over 50% of global reserves of cobalt, lithium, graphite, and rare earths, yet capturing less than 5% of the global value chain.
H.E Engadu outlined AMSG’s four strategic imperatives:
- Value Addition – “From Pit to Product”
- Exploration & Data Sovereignty – “Own the Maps/Data, Own the Wealth”
- African Capital Mobilization – “Fund Africa from African Capital”
• Critical Minerals Security – “For whom, and on whose terms?”
The panel featured:
- H.E. Dr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals, Nigeria & AMSG Chair
- H.E. Hassan Ali Joho, Cabinet Secretary of Mining, Kenya
Key questions explored:
- What inspired AMSG’s formation?
- How can Africa shift from price-taker to price-setter?
- How do we align strategy across diverse jurisdictions?
- What legacy should AMSG leave by 2045?
This is no longer about whether Africa can. It’s about how Africa will. – H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
The session marked a bold call to action, unity, and execution, the foundation of Africa’s mineral movement.
Key Takeaways:
- AMSG is Africa’s principal intergovernmental mineral strategy platform
- Four imperatives guide action: Value, Data, Capital, Security
- Ministers affirmed pan-African collaboration and leadership
Quote of the Day:
We export rocks. Others manufacture wealth. AMSG says: Enough. – H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General
Following the AMSG Panel Session, H.E Moses Micheal Engadu, AMSG Secretary-General accompanied by H.E Dr. Dele Alake, Nigeria Minister of Solid Minerals Development and AMSG Chair and H.E Hassan Ali Joho, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Mining toured the AFNIS 2025 exhibition.
