Nigeria's Solid Minerals Minister Pushes Africa Value Chain Integration
Nigeria's Solid Minerals Minister Oladele Alake called for stronger regional cooperation at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference 2026, urging African nations to move beyond raw material exports and capture more economic value from mineral resources. Minister Alake emphasized that Africa's vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, manganese, graphite, gold, copper, nickel and rare earth elements currently generate minimal economic returns due to the continent's focus on exporting unprocessed materials.
The Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), which expanded from 16 to 31 member states since January 2023, aims to harmonize mining policies, facilitate cross-border infrastructure, promote intra-African trade and strengthen regional mineral value chains under AfCFTA. Alake stressed that no African country can maximize opportunities alone, stating "A fragmented Africa weakens our bargaining power. A united Africa strengthens our strategic relevance."
For Nigeria, this represents both opportunity and challenge. With significant mineral resources, Nigeria has the potential to create jobs through value addition—processing, refining, manufacturing and innovating rather than simply exporting. The minister warned that success requires stronger governance, policy consistency, transparency, environmental responsibility and investment-friendly climates. As global supply chains restructure, Africa has a historic opportunity to transition from merely resource-rich to truly value-rich. Will Nigerian businesses position themselves to participate in this continental value chain revolution, or continue as raw material exporters?