President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to lead a high-level African push for greater control of the continent’s critical mineral resources as the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) holds its Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa in New York.
The Roundtable, scheduled for September 21, 2026, in Manhattan on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, will focus on transforming Africa’s mineral wealth into greater economic and industrial value for the continent.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, on Sunday, Tinubu, who chairs the AMSG General Assembly, will chair the meeting themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition.”
The gathering is expected to attract African Heads of State and Government representatives, ministers, investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and executives from the mining, technology, processing, logistics and mineral traceability sectors.
AMSG said the meeting would address Africa’s longstanding challenge of exporting raw minerals with limited processing and value addition within the continent.
It said the growing global demand for lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earth elements presents Africa with an opportunity to reposition its mineral resources as drivers of industrialisation, technology development, job creation and economic growth.
The group said the New York meeting would focus on building integrated mineral value chains, mobilising investment, strengthening intra-African cooperation and securing a larger share of the value generated from the continent’s mineral resources.
A major feature of the Roundtable will be the unveiling of the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration (CIEAD), which is expected to establish a framework for coordinated African action on critical minerals.
The declaration will cover areas including policy coordination, investment mobilisation, mineral processing and value addition, supply-chain security and Africa’s negotiating position in the global minerals market.
AMSG is also expected to introduce the proposed CIEAD Finance Window, aimed at developing innovative financing mechanisms for mineral processing, infrastructure, technology and other components of Africa’s critical-mineral value chains.
The initiative builds on the Mutual Assured Development (MADE) Framework, launched at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) 2026 in Abuja.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who chairs the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, and the organisation’s Secretary-General, Moses Michael Engadu, are expected to participate in the Roundtable.
AMSG said the meeting would prioritise practical and bankable opportunities rather than another forum for broad declarations.
It said policymakers, financiers and private-sector players would be brought together to identify investment structures and mechanisms capable of translating Africa’s mineral endowment into tangible economic outcomes.
According to the organisation, the global transition to electric vehicles, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and modern defence systems has intensified competition for critical minerals and placed Africa at the centre of an emerging global economic and geopolitical contest.
AMSG maintained that the continent must move from being a passive supplier of raw materials to becoming an active participant and value creator in global mineral supply chains.
The organisation was established in January 2024 by African governments as a continental intergovernmental organisation and specialised agency for critical minerals development.
Its mandate includes coordinating critical-minerals policies, aligning investments, strengthening minerals security and promoting Africa’s engagement with global partners.
The Third AMSG High-Level Roundtable is strategically partnered and supported by Core International.