The meeting will hold on September 21, 2026, in Manhattan. It will take place alongside the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Tinubu, who chairs the Africa Minerals Strategy Group General Assembly, will chair the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa. The summit will bring together African leaders and government representatives.
Ministers, investors and development finance institutions are also expected. Executives from mining, technology and logistics companies will participate. The Africa Minerals Strategy Group disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The meeting is themed, “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition.” The group said the gathering comes as major economies compete for critical minerals. These minerals are essential to electric vehicles and renewable energy. They are also important for advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
Defence technologies and digital infrastructure equally depend on several of them. Africa possesses significant deposits of lithium, copper and cobalt. The continent also holds graphite, manganese and rare earth elements. However, much of Africa’s mineral wealth is exported in raw form.
This has historically limited the economic value retained by African countries. Other regions often capture more value through refining and manufacturing. The Africa critical minerals summit is expected to address this imbalance. The AMSG said African countries must move beyond extract-and-export practices.
It said greater processing and manufacturing should happen within the continent. The organisation also wants stronger integration across mineral value chains. According to the group, the summit will focus on attracting transformative capital. It will also promote continental cooperation and supply-chain security.
African countries are expected to seek a larger share of global mineral wealth. The New York meeting will also advance the Mutual Assured Development framework. The framework was launched at an investment summit held in Abuja earlier this year. Participants are expected to unveil the Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration.
The proposed declaration will guide cooperation around critical minerals. It will cover investment mobilisation and local value addition. Policy coordination and supply-chain security will also feature. The framework is expected to strengthen Africa’s negotiating position globally.
A proposed CIEAD Finance Window will also support the initiative. The financing mechanism will target mineral processing and infrastructure projects.
Technology and other areas required for competitive value chains will also benefit. The AMSG said the initiative would move beyond policy discussions. It said the focus would shift towards implementation and investment. The meeting will be convened by AMSG leadership.
They include the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake. He chairs the group’s Ministerial Steering Committee. The AMSG Secretary-General, Moses Michael Engadu, will also participate. The Africa Finance Corporation and other development finance institutions are expected.
Multilateral organisations and private-sector operators will also attend. The AMSG was established by African governments in January 2024. Its mandate includes coordinating critical minerals policies across Africa. It also focuses on investment alignment and minerals security.
The organisation seeks stronger African engagement with global partners. Ultimately, its objective is to ensure Africa captures more mineral value. The Africa critical minerals agenda is therefore expected to become increasingly important to the continent’s industrial and economic strategy.
