Tinubu calls for fair global framework on critical minerals, urges bold G20 financial reforms
Abdullateef Fowewe
President Bola Tinubu has urged world leaders to establish a global framework that ensures communities hosting critical minerals in Nigeria and Africa benefit from value addition at the source.
This was obtained in a statement on Saturday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President).
Speaking on Saturday at the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, he emphasised that “for Nigeria and Africa, critical minerals are more than natural deposits; they hold the promise of industrial transformation for the continent.”
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu stressed the need for responsible extraction governed by “fairness, transparency, and accountability” to translate mineral wealth into shared progress.
He said, “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.”
President Tinubu also backed the establishment of global ethical standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI), underscoring AI’s role in accelerating global development while advocating that “AI remains a servant of humanity, not a force that reshapes society at the expense of those it ought to uplift.”
He called for partnerships that emphasise “empowerment, not exclusion; job creation, not displacement.”
Addressing the broader economic challenges, Tinubu urged G20 leaders to reform international financial architecture to better manage global financial flows and tackle recurring debt crises, especially impacting developing countries.
He said, “Only a more equitable and more responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness, address recurring debt crises with sincerity and meet the needs of all nations, especially those in the Global South.”
Highlighting Africa’s development hurdles, he noted, “Rising debt burdens have continued to drag economies back into cycles of fragility,” transforming local difficulties into global vulnerabilities.
President Tinubu called on the G20 to prioritise debt sustainability and the responsible use of critical minerals as essential for inclusive growth and financial inclusion.
The Nigerian leader also shared Nigeria’s commitment through the Renewed Hope Agenda, investing in youth digital literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurship to build a future-ready workforce aligned with the summit’s theme, “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence.”
