African ministers responsible for minerals and mining on the continent have re-elected Dele Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, as chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG.
The decision was taken at the Group’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a press statement signed by Segun Tomori, Alake’s Special Assistant on Media, stated.
“Alake was first elected in 2024 as the pioneer chairman of the 24 member continental forum, which brings together African ministers to pursue coordinated policies aimed at value addition, beneficiation and stronger returns from the continent’s mineral resources”, the statement indicated.
It added that at the AGM, ministers approved a new leadership structure to strengthen the Group’s institutional framework.
“New positions of Vice-Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General and Financial Secretary were created, with all roles zoned across Africa’s sub-regions to promote balance and inclusion”, the statement added.
Under the revised structure, Alake continues as Chairman, representing West Africa. The minister of mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 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, while South Africa was zoned the position of Financial Secretary.”
It further added that the Forum also ratified a two year tenure for the Executive Committee and agreed that zoned positions belong to member countries, meaning any replacement of a serving minister automatically transfers the role to the successor.
In his acceptance remarks, Alake urged African countries to deepen collaboration to unlock economic growth through solid minerals development.
He called for agreement on minimum financial contributions by Member States and a more robust budgeting framework to enhance accountability and operational effectiveness.
Read also: Solid minerals revenue surge: How Alake’s reforms are unlocking the sector’s potential
The AGM further resolved to hold quarterly ministerial meetings and approved the creation of standing committees covering legal and institutional affairs, sustainability and responsible mining, and finance and resource mobilisation.
Members also agreed to explore hosting a global minerals conference in Africa, modelled after the Future Minerals Forum.
Earlier, at a leadership roundtable on unlocking infrastructure funding for copper belt production, Alake said mineral production alone would not deliver structural transformation without reliable infrastructure, policy coordination and deliberate value addition.
He cited the Lobito Corridor as an example of integrated rail, port and energy planning, and pointed to similar opportunities across the continent. These include the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor, the Walvis Bay Corridor, and the Dar es Salaam Corridor.
According to Alake, the key challenge is designing financing structures that reduce risk, attract private capital and remain commercially viable, while supporting regional integration and long term development.
He said Africa must address bankable offtake arrangements, harmonised cross border regulations, and coordinated planning for rail, ports, power and industrial clusters.
He added that the long term vision of the AMSG is to ensure Africa’s mineral infrastructure is responsibly financed and efficiently managed, in a way that supports transparency, stability and shared prosperity across the continent.
