The continent of Africa is set to make a major push for greater control over its critical minerals future as the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) convenes its Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa in Manhattan, New York, on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Under the theme, “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,” the high-level gathering will bring together African Heads of State and Government representatives, ministers, global investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and leading executives from the mining, technology, processing, logistics and mineral traceability industries.
The Roundtable will be chaired by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, underscoring Africa’s determination to place critical minerals at the centre of the continent’s industrial, economic and geopolitical agenda.
The event comes at a pivotal moment in the global race for critical minerals, as lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese, rare earth elements and other strategic resources become increasingly essential to the technologies, energy systems, defence industries and manufacturing supply chains shaping the global economy.
Africa possesses some of the world’s most significant reserves of many of these minerals. Yet, for decades, much of the continent’s mineral wealth has left African shores with limited processing and value addition taking place locally.
The AMSG says that model must change.
The New York Roundtable will therefore focus on how African countries can move beyond the traditional extract-and-export model to build integrated mineral value chains, attract transformative capital, strengthen continental cooperation and secure a greater share of the economic value generated from Africa’s mineral resources.
The Roundtable represents a major step forward in the implementation of the Mutual Assured Development (MADE) Framework, launched at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Building on that framework, the New York gathering will mark what AMSG describes as a transition from strategic dialogue to structural execution, with the official unveiling of the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration (CIEAD).
The declaration is expected to provide a new continental architecture for cooperation around critical minerals, including policy coordination, investment mobilisation, mineral value addition, supply-chain security and mechanisms for strengthening Africa’s negotiating position in the global minerals economy.
A key component will be the proposed CIEAD Finance Window, designed to support innovative financing structures capable of mobilising capital for mineral processing, infrastructure, technology and other critical components of Africa’s emerging mineral value chains.
The Roundtable will be convened by the leadership of AMSG, with the participation of Mr. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, as well ask Mr. Moses Micheal Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group.
The stakes for Africa extend well beyond mining.
The global transition to electric mobility, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and modern defence systems is intensifying competition for secure supplies of critical minerals.
This has placed Africa at the centre of a rapidly changing global economic and geopolitical landscape.
The AMSG believes the continent now has an opportunity to leverage its mineral endowment to drive manufacturing, technology transfer, infrastructure development, regional trade and job creation rather than remain primarily a source of raw materials for industries elsewhere.
The Roundtable will therefore examine practical pathways for African countries to develop integrated and competitive mineral value chains, strengthen intra-African cooperation and attract long-term investment into processing, refining, manufacturing and related infrastructure.
The New York gathering will feature ministerial representatives from AMSG member states, multilateral institutions, development finance institutions, including the Africa Finance Corporation, as well as invited executives from major global mining, technology, traceability and logistics companies.
Their participation is expected to create a rare convergence between African policymakers controlling mineral resources, institutions capable of financing large-scale development and private-sector players seeking secure and sustainable critical-mineral supply chains.
Rather than another forum for declarations alone, AMSG says the Roundtable will focus on bankable opportunities, policy alignment, investment structures and mechanisms capable of converting Africa’s mineral endowment into measurable economic value.
For AMSG, the September gathering represents an important test of Africa’s ability to act collectively at a time when critical minerals are becoming increasingly central to global economic and national security strategies.
The organisation says Africa must move from being a passive participant in global mineral supply chains to becoming an active architect of the emerging mineral economy.
The Third AMSG High-Level Roundtable is strategically partnered and supported by Core International.
Established in January 2024 by African governments as a continental intergovernmental organisation and specialised agency for critical minerals development, the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) serves as a platform for coordinating critical-minerals policy, investment alignment, minerals security and Africa’s engagement with global partners.
Lara Owoeye-Wise, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister who confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja, said the mission of AMSG is to strengthen Africa’s agency over its mineral wealth, promote local value addition, advance continental cooperation and position Africa as a leading force in the global minerals economy.
