More than 1,000 participants from across the globe are expected to converge in Abuja for the inaugural Africa Raw Materials Summit 2025, scheduled to hold from today to Thursday.
The summit with the theme: “Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape,” and organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), is aimed at galvanising a continent-wide shift from raw materials extraction to value-added industrialization.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Director General and CEO of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, said the summit will focus on innovation and value addition in Africa’s resource sector, aligning closely with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to him, Africa is abundantly endowed with over 30 percent of the world’s strategic raw materials, ranging from agricultural produce to critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements.
Read Also: Italy-based Nigerian barber Ofuoyan features in global magazine
“Paradoxically, African economies still operate at the lower ends of global value chains due to excessive dependence on exporting unprocessed materials” he said.
He described this economic model as unsustainable, warning that it continues to deprive the continent of critical opportunities in job creation, industrial growth, and technological advancement.
“The time is now for a bold, coordinated shift from extraction to transformation, from exporting potential to industrializing value, and from economic vulnerability to continental resilience,” he added.
He stated that the summit is expected to produce key outcomes, including firm commitments toward 30 percent value addition in African raw materials and the development of regional industrial processing linkages.
Speaking further, he noted that the summit will also foster concrete partnerships among governments, private sector players, researchers, and development financiers to drive long-term transformation.
