Modupe Olalere
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is championing a new chapter for Africa, insisting that the continent should no longer remain a passive supplier of raw minerals but must transform these natural resources into engines for industrial and digital growth. At the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in 2025, his message was clear: Africa needs to promote value addition, industrialisation, and digital innovation on its own territory to claim a more equitable and powerful position in the global economy. This ambitious plan aims to ensure that Africa benefits more from its enormous natural resources and technological potential, thereby ending centuries of economic marginalisation.
At the heart of Tinubu’s battle is an insistence that Africa convert its raw minerals into finished products and build industries that create jobs and wealth locally. Speaking at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, he emphasized that “critical minerals are more than natural deposits; they hold the promise of industrial transformation for the continent.” He called for a global framework that promotes value addition at the mining source, supports local beneficiation, and ensures that the communities hosting these resources share in the wealth they generate.
Processing industries and environmentally friendly manufacturing capabilities should be developed on the continent rather than raw minerals being exported by nations. Taking this strategy results in the creation of employment opportunities, the reduction of economic leakages, and the establishment of the foundations for economic sovereignty. As an example of this vision, Nigeria has implemented the Renewed Hope Agenda, which involves making significant investments in skills that are future-ready, such as digital literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurship, to capitalise on the potential of its young people in a rapidly expanding technology landscape.
Tinubu also champions digital growth as a key complementary strategy. Nigeria is poised to sign the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill into law. This legislation will regulate electronic payments, promote secure digital infrastructure, and foster ethical AI development. “Artificial intelligence must be a tool of empowerment, not exclusion,” Tinubu highlighted, framing digital transformation as a means to inclusive growth rather than a source of displacement. The goal is ambitious but clear: to ensure the digital economy opportunity is accessible widely across Africa’s towns and villages, especially among women and young entrepreneurs.
According to Tinubu, Africa’s untapped resources have the potential to spark a new wave of technological power that will lay the foundation for the continent’s economic autonomy. For Africa to harness its minerals and use them to fuel innovations and businesses that revolutionise communities and economies, the continent must climb the value chain. The establishment of robust digital infrastructure across the country, which may include expanding fiber-optic networks and constructing tens of thousands of communication towers, serves as the foundation for the participation of all individuals in technological endeavours.
This integrated industrial and digital ecosystem generates ripple effects, such as opportunities for young African women to engage in global freelance work, farmers gaining access to remote markets, and technology businesses flourishing through local ingenuity. Tinubu’s vision was mirrored by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who pointed out that inclusive digital advancement will, at the same time, transform Africa’s social and economic fabric for the better. The governing frameworks for artificial intelligence need to preserve human dignity, encourage openness, and protect equity. Ethical issues are at the centre of this vision.
By connecting digital empowerment with mineral wealth, Tinubu’s program questions the status quo on a global scale. Africa has the potential to become a centre for the processing of natural resources and advanced technologies, generating not only minerals but also digital-driven services and goods. With this change, Africa would once again be a power to be reckoned with in global digital supply chains.
Tinubu’s battle also targets the structural biases embedded in global financial systems and trade regimes. At the G20 Summit, he made a heartfelt plea for a more equitable and responsive international financial architecture, noting, “Only a more equitable and responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness, address recurring debt crises with sincerity, and meet the needs of all nations.” He stressed that existing multilateral frameworks are outdated and poorly aligned with today’s complex economic realities, especially for developing countries.
He called for urgent reforms to enable African countries to effectively finance their mineral assets and seize power in global supply chains. Reducing debt burdens and ensuring sustainable financing are crucial steps in this direction. The goal is to break cycles of vulnerability that have historically held African economies back and to create a climate where industrial projects and digital innovation can thrive.
Tinubu’s approach is holistic and morally driven. He highlighted that the struggle for fair mineral trade and ethical AI governance intersects with the fundamental need for decent work. “Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive, and sustainable,” he stated, underscoring that economic progress must be measured by the dignity and opportunities it affords to people, not just by statistical growth.
In line with this vision, Tinubu called for increased cooperation between developed and developing countries, integrating initiatives from the public and commercial sectors to promote inclusion, transfer technology, and build capacity. In particular, women and young people stand to gain the most from Africa’s digital transformation; thus, collaboration is crucial to ensuring that developing technologies benefit everyone.
President Tinubu’s fierce advocacy for turning mineral riches into digital and industrial might encapsulates a seismic shift in Africa’s global role. By tying value creation from mineral resources to robust digital economies built on ethical AI, improved infrastructure, and inclusive policies, Tinubu charts a course for a more just and prosperous continent. Nigeria’s policy initiatives demonstrate how investment in skills and technology, combined with demands for global financial reforms, can propel Africa toward economic sovereignty.
Through this relentless battle, Africa aims not only to export raw materials but to export innovation, digital services, and manufactured goods. Africa’s fair share in the global economy lies precisely in this transformative journey from raw minerals to digital power, an agenda that challenges old paradigms and seeks a future where African resources and talents receive the justice and recognition they deserve.