Tinubu Demands G20 Adopt Global Framework for African Critical Minerals to Ensure Processing, Equity at Source

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today, Saturday, November 22, 2025, delivered a powerful message to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, demanding a complete overhaul of the global framework governing Africa’s mineral wealth to ensure the continent benefits fairly from its critical resources.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Third Session of the Summit, the President insisted that the wealth generated from minerals like cobalt and lithium must translate into shared prosperity for the host communities and nations, rather than just fueling industrial growth elsewhere.

“Nigeria calls for a global framework that promotes value addition at the source, supports local beneficiation, and ensures that communities hosting these resources are not left behind,” the President stated. “The issue before us reaches far beyond the narrow arithmetic of economics and speaks to the moral character of the world we aspire to build.”

The Industrial Transformation Promise

Tinubu emphasized that for Nigeria and Africa, these minerals represent more than geological deposits; they are a path to genuine industrial transformation. He warned that possessing the resources alone does not guarantee prosperity unless extraction and trade are anchored on transparency, accountability, and the principle of local processing.

The demand for value addition is a direct challenge to the historical model where African countries export raw materials, only to import finished, high-value goods.

In addition to the critical minerals debate, the Nigerian leader called for the creation of global ethical standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prevent the technology from deepening global inequality. He also pressed G20 leaders to address the recurring debt crises in the Global South by adopting a more equitable and responsive international financial architecture.

The President’s message, delivered at the first G20 summit hosted on African soil, positions Nigeria as a key advocate for a fair deal for the continent in the race for resources that are vital for the world’s green energy transition.