G20: Tinubu urges fair global mineral policy, pushes value addition for host communities

…says critical minerals must translate into shared prosperity

President Bola Tinubu has called for an end to global frameworks that deprive mineral-producing host communities of benefits critical to Nigeria and Africa.

The President also called for mechanisms that will enable these communities to add value to their products in order to attract higher economic gains.

This comes as Nigeria backed the creation of global ethical standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI) aimed at accelerating development across the world.

These were the highlights of President Tinubu’s presentation at the Third Session of the 2025 Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, South Africa, with the theme: “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence.”

The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, noted that for Nigeria and Africa, critical minerals are more than natural deposits, as they hold the promise of industrial transformation for the continent.

He said the current administration has demonstrated strong resolve to maximise benefits from the country’s solid minerals sector.

Tinubu stressed that while the possession of resources alone does not guarantee prosperity, relevant authorities and stakeholders must ensure that the extraction and trade of critical minerals are governed by fairness, transparency, and accountability.

He emphasised that responsible extraction and trade are necessary to ensure that the wealth generated from host communities translates into shared progress.

Nigeria also called for a global framework that promotes value addition at the source, supports local beneficiation, and ensures that communities hosting these resources are not left behind.

According to him, “the issue before us reaches far beyond the narrow arithmetic of economics and speaks to the moral character of the world we aspire to build.”

The Nigerian leader also called for what he described as “people centred progress,” just as the world advances through green and digital transitions.

“Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive, and sustainable. It is the foundation of development that ensures every person has the opportunity to contribute, thrive, and share in national prosperity,” he added.

He revealed that the federal government, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is investing in future-ready skills by empowering Nigerian youths through digital literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurship.

For a fair and just future, President Tinubu urged G20 leaders to deepen collaboration on technology transfer, capacity building, and inclusive investments that prioritise human dignity over profit alone.

On artificial intelligence, which has immense potential to accelerate development globally, the President said the task before G20 leaders, development partners, and governments is to ensure that AI remains a servant of humanity, not a force that reshapes society at the expense of those it ought to uplift.

“Nigeria supports the creation of global ethical standards for AI that uphold safety, transparency, and equity,” the President said, adding, “We must ensure that AI becomes a tool of empowerment, not exclusion; of job creation, not displacement.”

To harness AI’s job creation and empowerment potential, the President called for deliberate partnerships between developed and developing nations, between the public and private sectors, and between innovation and inclusion.

“The G20 must therefore address systemic bias and foster sustained multilateral dialogue to ensure that the benefits of AI are shared equitably and its risks responsibly managed,” he added.

The President noted that within a broader vision of shared responsibility and global stewardship, critical minerals, decent work, and artificial intelligence are bound by a single calling, which is to shape an economy that uplifts rather than excludes; an economy that measures its strength not only by growth but by the dignity it affords every human being.

He therefore, urged the G20 leaders and partners to build a future where Africa is not merely a supplier of raw materials, but a continent of value creation, innovation, and dignity in work.

He also tasked global leaders to come up with a more equitable and responsive system to manage global financial flows and sincerely address the recurring debt crises in a manner that meets the needs of all nations.

This, he said, had become necessary because many developing countries still grapple with systemic barriers restraining economic growth, as well as weakening trade and limiting financial inclusivity.

Tinubu also berated the current multilateral frameworks, which he said is “no longer reflect the complexities of the present world, as the were “built in an era far removed from” the present challenges, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, trade, financing for development and the debt burden, speaks to the realities of developing nations.”

“For trade to be truly inclusive, the G20 must take bold and deliberate steps towards reforming the international financial architecture and the global institutions that sustain it.

“Only a more equitable and more responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness, address recurring debt crises with sincerity and meet the needs of all nations, especially those in the Global South who have too often stood at the margins of global opportunity.”

Tinubu also called on African leaders to realise a positive paradigm shift in the continent’s development trajectory, which he said cannot happen without the collective resolve of the G20.

He noted that the continent cannot rise on the wings of aspiration alone without confronting the persistent regional challenges confronting it, particularly “the urgent need for sustainable financing to ensure the effective implementation of our developmental priorities.”

The Nigerian leader observed that rising debt burdens have continued “to drag economies back into cycles of fragility,” transforming “local difficulties into global vulnerabilities.”

Accordingly, he implored the G20 to place debt sustainability and the responsible utilisation of critical minerals at the heart of its agenda for inclusive development.

“The G20 must, in adopting the Leaders’ Declaration, take with utmost seriousness the responsibility to advance policies that drive sustainable growth, promote financial inclusion and confront emerging risks,” he added.