Nigeria and AfDB Call for African Control of Mineral Resources and Lagos‑Dakar Processing Corridor
At the Ministerial Forum on Critical Minerals, Value Chain and Beneficiation held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake and African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah urged African nations to take stronger ownership of the continent’s mineral wealth. Alake called for data sovereignty, regional cooperation and strategic financing, warning that Africa must move beyond exporting raw minerals and instead develop local processing and value‑addition capacity. He proposed a West African minerals‑processing corridor stretching from Lagos to Dakar, modeled on the Lobito Corridor, to share infrastructure and reduce costs. The minister also advocated the adoption of the Pan African Resource Reporting Code (PARC) to replace the Australia‑based JORC reporting standard, arguing it would reflect Africa’s geological realities and ensure transparent, consistent reporting. The forum adopted the Abidjan Declaration, which emphasizes financing, regional collaboration and the establishment of value‑addition facilities across the continent. More than 20 ministers and over 30 member countries of the Africa Mineral Strategy Group participated, highlighting the importance of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths for electric vehicles, renewable energy and semiconductor production. Alake noted intra‑African trade in minerals is only about 16 % compared with 60 % in Asia and 70 % in Europe, underscoring the need for a coordinated continental strategy.
Entities: Africa Mineral Strategy Group · African Coalition for Sustainable Energy and Access · African Development Bank · Côte d’Ivoire · Dele Alake · Dr Augustine B. Njamnshi · Dr Dele Alake · Dr Sidi Ould Tah · Lagos‑Dakar minerals processing corridor · Sidi Ould Tah
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] More than 20 ministers and over 30 member countries of the Africa Mineral Strategy Group participated in the forum. (FG Seeks Lagos-Dakar Minerals Corridor; FG, AfDB back African mineral value addition; …)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake called for stronger African control of mineral resources at the Ministerial Forum in Abidjan. (FG Seeks Lagos-Dakar Minerals Corridor To Unlock Africa’s Mineral Wealth; Nigeria, AfDB back African local value add; …)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The forum adopted the Abidjan Declaration, focusing on financing, regional cooperation and mineral value addition. (FG, AfDB back African mineral value addition; FG, AfDB seek greater African control; …)
- [● 4 SOURCES] AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah said Africa’s vast mineral deposits have not translated into comparable GDP growth or global influence. (Nigeria, AfDB Push for African Control of Mineral Wealth; FG, AfDB back African mineral value addition; …)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Alake urged adoption of the Pan African Resource Reporting Code (PARC) to replace the JORC reporting standard. (FG Seeks Lagos-Dakar Minerals Corridor; Nigeria, AfDB Push African Control; …)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Alake proposed a West African minerals‑processing corridor from Lagos to Dakar, modeled on the Lobito Corridor. (FG Seeks Lagos-Dakar Minerals Corridor; Nigeria, AfDB Push African Control; …)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Intra‑African trade in minerals accounts for about 16 % compared with roughly 60 % in Asia and 70 % in Europe. (Nigeria, AfDB push African control of mineral wealth through value addition)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Critical minerals mentioned include lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and rare earths, essential for EVs, renewable energy and semiconductors. (Nigeria, AfDB Push for African Control of Mineral Wealth)