Statement by the Secretary-General on Africa’s Minerals Moment and Sovereign Mining Future
Africa’s mineral future must be built around sovereignty, value creation, community empowerment, responsible sourcing and the transformation of mineral wealth into African prosperity.
01. Africa’s Minerals Must Serve Africa’s People
Across the continent, too many young people work in the shadow of mineral wealth without sharing in its benefits. The story of Africa’s mineral future must therefore begin with people, communities and the urgent need to ensure that mineral development creates dignity, opportunity and prosperity.
Africa’s resources must no longer leave communities behind. They must become the foundation for jobs, infrastructure, education, enterprise and industrial transformation.
02. Exploration Before Extraction
Africa cannot develop what it has not discovered. Modern geological mapping, exploration financing, mineral intelligence and data sovereignty are essential to building a stronger mineral economy.
When Africa maps its own land, it gains the knowledge required to plan, negotiate, finance and industrialise from a position of confidence.
03. Processing Where We Produce
The export of unprocessed minerals has limited Africa’s ability to capture full value from its resources. The continent must accelerate regional processing hubs for gold, lithium, cobalt, graphite, rare earths and other strategic minerals.
Processing where we produce is not only an industrial policy. It is a jobs policy, a youth policy, a sovereignty policy and a critical minerals security policy.
04. Culture, Community and Custodianship
Africa’s minerals lie beneath sacred land, ancestral heritage and living communities. Mineral governance must therefore include not only governments and investors, but also traditional institutions, communities, elders, scientists and innovators.
A mining future that excludes community custodianship cannot be sustainable. Africa must build a model of mineral development that protects heritage, strengthens peace and advances intergenerational equity.
05. Tokenization and Finance for the People
Africa must develop new financial instruments that allow verified mineral value to support African development. Traceability, tokenization and responsible digital infrastructure can help unlock capital, improve pricing and strengthen financial sovereignty.
Through platforms such as the Madini Blockchain Platform and the Africa Mineral Token, Africa can begin to convert verified mineral value into investment capacity, transparency and broader participation in mineral wealth creation.
06. Responsible Sourcing as an African Standard
Africa must no longer be merely a rule taker in global mineral governance. Through African-led responsible sourcing frameworks, the continent can shape standards that reflect both global expectations and African realities.
Responsible sourcing must empower communities, formalize artisanal mining, strengthen transparency and ensure that African minerals enter global markets with integrity and dignity.
07. Closing Message
The age of extractive exploitation must end. The age of transformative, traceable and inclusive mining must begin.
Africa’s story is still being written. It must no longer glorify the hunter while ignoring the lion. It must finally honour the communities, nations and generations whose future depends on the responsible transformation of Africa’s mineral wealth.
Africa’s minerals must become Africa’s moment.
Adapted from the keynote address delivered by H.E. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, at the Mining in Motion Summit, Accra, Ghana, on 2 June 2025.
