Tinubu To Chair Africa Critical Minerals Summit In New York, Pushes For Local Value Addition

*President Bola Tinubu* is set to lead a continental push to stop Africa’s mineral wealth from leaving the continent as raw materials when he chairs a high-level summit in *New York next month*.

The *Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa* will be held on *September 21, 2026*, in Manhattan on the sidelines of the *81st UN General Assembly*.

Tinubu, who chairs the *Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) General Assembly*, will lead the meeting. It is expected to bring together African leaders, ministers, global investors, development finance institutions, multilateral bodies and executives from mining, technology and logistics companies.

In a statement on Sunday, AMSG said the summit, themed _“From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,”_ comes as major economies intensify the search for minerals needed for *EVs, renewable energy, AI, digital infrastructure and defence*.

_“Africa is set to make a major push for greater control over its critical minerals future,”_ AMSG said.

_“The Roundtable will be chaired by His Excellency Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, underscoring Africa’s determination to place critical minerals at the centre of the continent’s industrial, economic and geopolitical agenda.”_

Africa holds major deposits of *lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earths* — minerals central to the global energy transition.

However, the continent has historically exported them in raw form, with refining and manufacturing done elsewhere.

The New York meeting will seek to change that by focusing on *processing, manufacturing and integrated value chains*.

_“The Roundtable will focus on how African countries can move beyond the extract-and-export model to build integrated mineral value chains, attract transformative capital, strengthen continental cooperation and secure a greater share of the economic value,”_ AMSG said.

The summit will unveil the proposed *Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration (CIEAD)*. The framework will cover *policy coordination, investment mobilisation, local value addition, supply-chain security* and a stronger African negotiating position.

A key component is the *CIEAD Finance Window*, designed to mobilise capital for processing plants, infrastructure and technology.

The meeting also marks the next phase of the *Mutual Assured Development framework* launched at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja earlier in 2026.

_“Building on the Mutual Assured Development Framework, the New York gathering will mark a transition from strategic dialogue to structural execution,”_ AMSG said.

The summit will be convened by *Solid Minerals Minister Dele Alake*, who chairs the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, and AMSG Secretary-General *Moses Michael Engadu*.

The *Africa Finance Corporation*, other DFIs, multilaterals and private-sector players in mining, technology and logistics are also expected.

Established in *January 2024*, AMSG is an intergovernmental body coordinating Africa’s critical minerals policy and engagement with global partners. Its mission is to strengthen the continent’s control over its resources and capture more value from minerals shaping the future economy.