Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has urged African countries to prioritise local processing of their mineral resources, saying the move is essential to creating jobs, strengthening industries and unlocking greater economic value across the continent.

Alake made the call at the African Development Bank Ministerial Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he stressed that Africa must move away from its long-standing dependence on exporting raw minerals and importing finished products at higher costs.

According to the minister, processing more minerals within the continent would help African nations retain more value from their natural resources, stimulate industrial growth and generate employment opportunities.

He also called for Africa to take greater control of how its mineral wealth is assessed by adopting the Pan-African Resource Reporting Code (PARC), which he said would enable the continent to determine the value of its resources using standards developed by Africans.

Alake welcomed the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration, describing it as a major step toward strengthening regional cooperation in the mining sector.

As Chair of the Africa Mineral Strategy Group, Alake reaffirmed his commitment to working with governments and stakeholders across the continent to ensure Africa’s mineral resources drive sustainable economic growth, create jobs and deliver lasting prosperity for its people.

In his remarks, AfDB President Dr Sidi Ould Tah described Africa’s mineral sector as a paradox, noting that despite the continent’s vast mineral endowment, it has yet to achieve commensurate gains in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or attract sufficient Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).