Africa is set to intensify efforts to gain greater control over its critical mineral resources as the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) convenes a high-level meeting in New York to advance continental cooperation, investment and mineral value addition.
The Third AMSG High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa is scheduled for September 21, 2026, in Manhattan, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, will chair the Roundtable, which is themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition.”
The meeting will bring together African government representatives, ministers, investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and major players in mining, mineral processing, technology, logistics and traceability.
AMSG said the meeting would provide an opportunity for Africa to develop a coordinated response to the growing global competition for critical minerals, including lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earth elements.
The organisation noted that although Africa possesses some of the world’s largest reserves of strategic minerals, much of the continent’s mineral wealth has historically been exported with little local processing or value addition.
It said the New York Roundtable would seek to promote a shift from the traditional extract-and-export model towards integrated mineral value chains that would support industrialisation, manufacturing, technology transfer and job creation.
A key outcome of the meeting will be the unveiling of the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration (CIEAD), designed to strengthen cooperation among African countries on critical-minerals development.
The proposed framework will address policy coordination, investment mobilisation, mineral value addition, supply-chain security and measures to improve Africa’s bargaining position in the global minerals economy.
AMSG will also advance plans for a CIEAD Finance Window, aimed at mobilising innovative financing for mineral processing, infrastructure, technology and other strategic investments required to develop competitive mineral value chains.
The initiative builds on the Mutual Assured Development (MADE) Framework, launched at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja earlier in 2026.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairperson of the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, Dele Alake, and the AMSG Secretary-General, Moses Michael Engadu, will participate in the high-level engagement.
AMSG said the Roundtable would place emphasis on practical, bankable investment opportunities and stronger links between African governments, financiers and private-sector companies.
It noted that the increasing global demand for critical minerals, driven by electric mobility, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and defence technologies, had created a strategic opportunity for Africa.
The group said Africa must use the opportunity to develop domestic industries and capture more value from its mineral resources rather than remain a supplier of raw materials to industries abroad.
According to AMSG, the New York meeting will therefore seek to position Africa not merely as a source of critical minerals but as an active architect of the emerging global mineral economy.
Established in January 2024 by African governments, AMSG is a continental intergovernmental organisation and specialised agency focused on critical minerals development.
Its mandate includes coordinating mineral policies, aligning investments, strengthening minerals security, promoting local value addition and enhancing Africa’s engagement with global partners.
The Third AMSG High-Level Roundtable is strategically partnered and supported by Core International.