By Abiodun Abdullai
Nigeria has urged G20 nations to adopt a global mineral governance framework that guarantees value addition at the source and ensures host communities in Africa benefit directly from the extraction of critical minerals.
The call was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the 2025 G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, themed "A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence."
Tinubu said Africa's critical mineral reserves must translate into industrial growth, jobs, and shared prosperity rather than continuing the long-standing pattern where raw materials leave the continent with limited local value created. He emphasised that responsible extraction, transparency, and accountability are essential to preventing resource-rich communities from being left behind.
According to him, "critical minerals are central to the global energy and digital transition, but wealth creation must begin where these resources are found."
Decent Work and Human-Centred Growth
The President stressed that global economic reforms must prioritise people and fair opportunities. Decent work, he said, remains the anchor for inclusive development and a core pillar of Nigeria's Renewed Hope Agenda, which is investing in digital skills, vocational training, and youth entrepreneurship.
He urged the G20 to expand cooperation on technology transfer, capacity building and investment models that promote human dignity rather than profit alone.
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Nigeria Backs Ethical Global Standards for AI
Nigeria also threw its support behind the creation of global ethical standards for Artificial Intelligence, warning that innovation must not widen inequalities or undermine job security.
Tinubu said AI should "remain a tool for empowerment, not exclusion," calling for partnerships between advanced and emerging economies to ensure equitable access, eliminate systemic bias, and responsibly manage AI risks.
Call for Reform of Global Financial Architecture
Beyond minerals and technology, Nigeria renewed calls for reforms in the global financial system, arguing that current structures no longer reflect today's economic realities and have failed to ease debt pressures on developing countries.
Tinubu urged world leaders to confront persistent barriers to growth, inefficient financial flows, and the rising debt burden that continues to weaken economies across the Global South.
"For trade to be truly inclusive, the international financial architecture must become fairer, more responsive, and aligned with the needs of developing nations," he said.
He added that Africa cannot unlock sustained development without reliable financing mechanisms and a collective commitment to responsible mineral resource management.
A Push for Inclusive Prosperity
Nigeria tasked G20 members with ensuring that the summit's final declaration prioritises sustainable growth, financial inclusion, and policies that elevate African countries from raw-material suppliers to hubs of value creation, innovation and skilled work.
