By Ayo Ayodele
African Ministers responsible for minerals and mining have re-elected Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, as Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), renewing his mandate to drive coordinated continental action on value addition and beneficiation in Africa’s mining sector.
Dr. Alake was re-elected at the 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the AMSG held on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was first unanimously elected as the pioneer chairman of the 24-member ministerial forum in 2024.
The AMSG, a platform of African Ministers of Minerals, is focused on aligning policies and strategies to maximise economic returns from Africa’s vast mineral resources through cooperation, infrastructure development and responsible mining.
At the AGM, members approved a strengthened leadership structure with the creation of new positions, including Vice-Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General and Financial Secretary, to deepen institutional capacity. The forum resolved that these positions be equitably distributed across Africa’s sub-regions to ensure balance and inclusiveness.
Under the new arrangement, Dr. Alake continues as Chairman representing West Africa, while the Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hon. Louis Watum Kabamba, was elected Vice-Chairman for Central Africa. Uganda retains the position of Secretary-General representing East Africa, Mauritania was appointed Deputy Secretary-General for North Africa, and South Africa was zoned Financial Secretary for Southern Africa.
The AGM also ratified a two-year tenure for the executive committee and agreed that zoned positions belong to member countries, allowing successors to automatically assume roles if a serving minister is replaced.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Alake thanked his colleagues for the renewed confidence and called for stronger collaboration among African countries to unlock economic growth through solid minerals development. He urged member states to agree on minimum financial contributions and improve budgeting frameworks to enhance the forum’s effectiveness.
“Once member states contribute, accountability will naturally follow. This will enhance transparency and strengthen the credibility of the AMSG before the global community,” he said.
The meeting further resolved to hold quarterly ministerial meetings and approved the establishment of standing committees covering areas such as Legal and Institutional Affairs, Sustainability and Responsible Mining, and Finance and Resource Mobilisation. Members also agreed to explore hosting a global minerals conference in Africa, similar to the Future Minerals Forum.
Earlier, at a leadership roundtable on “Africa: Unlocking Infrastructure Funding for Copper-Belt Production,” Dr. Alake stressed that mineral wealth alone cannot deliver sustainable development without reliable infrastructure, coordinated policies and deliberate value-addition strategies.
He cited projects such as the Lobito Corridor as examples of how integrated rail, port, energy and policy frameworks can drive industrial growth, adding that similar opportunities exist along corridors including Lagos–Abidjan, Walvis Bay, and Dar es Salaam.
According to him, the long-term vision of the AMSG is to ensure Africa’s mineral infrastructure is strategically designed, responsibly financed and efficiently managed to support transparency, stability and shared prosperity across the continent.