The fourth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) will be held from July 15 to 17, 2025, at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, with the theme “Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development.”
A major highlight will be the formal launch of the “Africans for Africa” Fund, designed to shift the continent’s investment mindset by encouraging African stakeholders to invest directly in African industries, innovations, and infrastructure.
The minister of sold mineral development, Dr Dele Alake, who was represented by Engr Obadiah Nkom, the director general of the Mining Cadaster Office, told journalists in Abuja during a press conference to foreshadow the event, that AFNIS 2025 would signal a decisive shift from mere potential to tangible production, value addition, and empowerment across the continent.
He said: “One of the major highlights this year will be the formal launch of the ‘Africans for Africa’ Fund; a bold initiative designed to mobilise African capital for African priorities. This isn’t a slogan. It’s a shift in mindset. We are saying clearly: the time has come for Africans to invest in Africa, to back our industries, our innovations, and our infrastructure with the resources we already have.”
Alake stated that the event’s scope and influence had grown rapidly since its launch in 2022 as the Nigeria-Africa Natural Resource and Energy Investment Summit (NAFNIS).
“The maiden edition laid the foundation with strong emphasis on climate-friendly industrialisation, responsible mining, and sustainable financing. It brought together over 700 delegates and 100 speakers from 20 countries, igniting a continental conversation on responsibly harnessing Africa’s natural resource endowments.
“By the second edition in 2023, the summit had gained continental traction, attracted high-level participation and set the tone for a unified African position on local beneficiation, energy transition, and regional cooperation.”
Alake further stated that by 2024, the summit had evolved into a key continental forum, highlighted by the presence of Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima and the introduction of the groundbreaking “Africans for Africa” initiative aimed at mobilising African capital for African priorities.
He expressed optimism that AFNIS 2025 would take the conversation to new heights, moving beyond advocacy to implementation, and from policy conversations to bankable action.
LEADERSHIP that the summit will feature a Ministerial and CEO Retreat, a Strategic Partnership Summit, and a Technical and Investment Forum, focusing on critical issues such as ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), vital minerals, and the synergy between agriculture and mining.
Key focus areas include Local Industrialisation, Energy Transition, Cross-Sector Integration, Policy and Financing.
The summit will also host distinguished speakers, including Hon. Hassan Joho of Kenya, H.E. Julius Mattai of Sierra Leone, Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi, and ministers from Malawi, Liberia, Senegal, and South Sudan. Dr. Oladele Henry Alake, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chair of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, will chair the event.
Alake further noted that AFNIS 2025 provides a platform for Nigeria to showcase the progress under its Renewed Hope Agenda, including reforms in the solid minerals sector, the rollout of the Nigerian Mineral Resources Data Sharing System (NMRDSS), and new initiatives to attract responsible investments and ensure mining benefits local communities.
Dr. Alake urged the media to actively participate in shaping public understanding, emphasising that the summit should culminate not in applause but in meaningful action to build Africa’s resource future.
“AFNIS 2025 is our moment to send a message: Africa is serious about owning and leading its resource future. We are ready to build with our wealth,” he stated.
The permanent secretary in the ministry, Engr Faruk Yusuf Yabowho was represented by Director of Mining, Extraction and Compliance in the ministry, Mrs Vivian Okonu, declared that AFNIS 2025 will not just another talkshop but “a bold step towards unlocking Africa’s true potential driving sustainable investment, industrial innovation and and regional integration.”
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