Alake Re-Elected To Lead African Minerals Strategy Group

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), reaffirming confidence in his leadership and vision for harnessing the continent’s vast mineral wealth for economic transformation.

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 forum’s pioneer chairman in 2024.

This was disclosed in a statement by Alake’s special assistant on media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday

The statement described the AMSG as a continental ministerial platform that brings together African countries to coordinate policies and actions aimed at promoting value addition, beneficiation, and the sustainable development of Africa’s mineral resources.

At the AGM, ministers approved a strengthened leadership and governance framework for the 24-member forum. New positions—Vice-Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General and Financial Secretary—were created and equitably zoned across Africa’s sub-regions to promote inclusiveness and regional balance.

Under the new structure, 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 for East Africa, Mauritania was appointed Deputy Secretary-General for North Africa, and South Africa was assigned the position of Financial Secretary.

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 when serving ministers are replaced.

In his acceptance speech, Dr Alake thanked his colleagues for the renewed mandate and urged African countries to deepen collaboration to unlock economic growth through the development of solid minerals. He emphasised the need for agreed minimum financial contributions from member states and a clearer budgeting framework to enhance the group’s effectiveness and credibility.

“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 ministers further resolved to hold quarterly meetings and approved the establishment of standing committees covering Legal and Institutional Affairs, Sustainability and Responsible Mining, and Finance, Budget and Resource Mobilisation. Plans were also endorsed to host a global minerals conference in Africa, comparable to the Future Minerals Forum.

Earlier, at a Leadership Roundtable on “Africa: Unlocking Infrastructure Funding for Copper-Belt Production,” Dr Alake stressed that mineral production alone cannot guarantee sustainable economic transformation without adequate infrastructure, coordinated policies and deliberate value-addition strategies.

He highlighted the Lobito Corridor as a successful example of integrated rail, port, energy and policy planning, and pointed to similar opportunities across the continent, including the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor in West Africa, the Walvis Bay Corridor in Southern Africa, and the Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors serving East and Central Africa.

“The real question is not whether Africa has corridors, but whether these corridors are being financed, governed and structured to support industrial growth, regional integration and long-term stability,” Dr Alake said.

He noted that unlocking large-scale investment requires bankable offtake arrangements, harmonised cross-border regulations, aligned infrastructure planning and clear pathways for processing, logistics and industrial clusters along mineral corridors.

According to him, the overarching goal of the AMSG is to ensure that Africa’s mineral infrastructure is strategically planned, responsibly financed and efficiently managed in a rapidly changing global environment—one that promotes transparency, stability and shared prosperity across the continent.