President Bola Tinubu has urged the creation of a global system that guarantees communities hosting Africa’s critical minerals receive fair benefits and value from their resources.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Tinubu stressed that mineral-rich communities must be at the centre of global value chains, not left at the margins.
Speaking at the summit themed “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence,” Tinubu noted that critical minerals are not merely natural endowments but a major driver of Africa’s industrial transformation.
Citing ARISE News, he warned that resource possession alone does not guarantee prosperity. Instead, governments and stakeholders must manage extraction and trade with transparency, accountability, and integrity to ensure that host communities benefit directly.
Tinubu called for a global framework that promotes value addition at the source, supports local processing, and prioritises inclusive development. The issue, he said, goes beyond economics and speaks to the moral foundation of the future global order.
As the world advances through green and digital transitions, he maintained that progress must remain people-centred, with decent work serving as the anchor of fair and sustainable development. Under Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, he highlighted ongoing efforts to equip young people with digital, vocational, and entrepreneurial skills.
Tinubu urged G20 leaders to strengthen cooperation in technology transfer, capacity building, and inclusive investment.
On artificial intelligence, he emphasised the need for global ethical standards that guarantee safety, transparency, and equity. AI, he said, must be a tool for empowerment and job creation not exclusion or displacement.
He called for deliberate partnerships between developed and developing nations, public and private institutions, and innovation and inclusion to ensure AI’s benefits are broadly shared. The G20, he added, must confront systemic bias and maintain sustained multilateral dialogue to manage AI risks responsibly.
Tinubu also underscored the interconnectedness of critical minerals, decent work, and AI in building economies that uplift rather than marginalise people. Africa, he said, must become a continent known for value creation, innovation, and dignified work, rather than merely a supplier of raw materials.
On global finance, he demanded reforms to create a more equitable system for managing financial flows and resolving debt crises—issues that continue to hinder many developing economies. Rising debt burdens, he cautioned, are deepening fragility and creating global vulnerabilities.
He concluded by urging the G20 to commit to debt sustainability, responsible mineral management, and policies that advance inclusive growth, financial stability, and resilience.
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