Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has been re-elected as Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), following the group’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held alongside the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Alake, first unanimously elected as the pioneer Chairman of AMSG in 2024, continues to lead the 24-member continental forum of African ministers responsible for minerals and mining. The forum is committed to coordinated action to maximise value addition and beneficiation from Africa’s vast mineral resources.
A statement released on Sunday in Abuja by Alake’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, noted that the AGM approved the creation of additional leadership positions, including Vice Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General, and Financial Secretary, to promote inclusion and regional balance across Africa’s sub-regions.
Under the new structure:
Chairman: Dr. Dele Alake (Nigeria, West Africa)
Vice Chairman: Hon. Louis Watum Kabamba (DRC, Central Africa)
Secretary-General: Uganda (East Africa)
Deputy Secretary-General: Mauritania (North Africa)
Financial Secretary: South Africa
The AGM ratified a two-year tenure for the executive committee and established that zoned positions belong to member countries, allowing successors to assume roles automatically if a serving minister is replaced.
In his acceptance speech, Alake expressed gratitude for the renewed confidence, emphasising the need for African nations to collaborate on unlocking the continent’s economic potential through solid minerals development. He called on member states to agree on minimum financial contributions and refine AMSG’s budgeting framework to enhance operational effectiveness, transparency, and credibility on the global stage.
The AGM also approved quarterly ministerial meetings and established standing committees, including Legal, Institutional Affairs and Human Resources; Sustainability and Responsible Mining; and Finance, Budget, and Resource Mobilisation. Plans were discussed to host a global minerals conference in Africa, akin to FMF.
Speaking at a Leadership Roundtable themed, “Africa: Unlocking Infrastructure Funding for Copper-Belt Production,” Alake stressed that mineral production alone cannot deliver lasting economic transformation without reliable infrastructure, coordinated policies, and deliberate value-addition strategies.
Alake cited the Lobito Corridor as a model of successful synergy between rail, ports, energy systems, and policy alignment, highlighting similar opportunities across Africa, including the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor, Walvis Bay Corridor, and Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors.
“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,” Alake said.
He added that unlocking capital required addressing bankable and enforceable offtake arrangements, harmonised cross-border regulations, and alignment of rail, port, power, and industrial planning, alongside clear pathways for processing, smelting, logistics, and industrial clusters.
Alake concluded that AMSG’s broader vision is to ensure Africa’s mineral infrastructure is strategically designed, responsibly financed, and efficiently managed to promote long-term stability, transparency, and shared economic prosperity.
