Tinubu Leads Campaign for Africa to Stop Exportation of Unprocessed Minerals
President Bola Tinubu has implored West African nations to cease the exportation of unprocessed raw minerals, a practice he termed the “pit-to-port” dependency, advocating instead for investment in regional value chains, manufacturing, and innovation.
Addressing the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) on Saturday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, the Nigerian leader emphasized the urgent need for collective economic transformation across the region.
“We must acknowledge that Africa was left behind in previous industrial revolutions. We cannot afford to miss the next one.
Our rare minerals are crucial for tomorrow’s green technologies—yet merely possessing resources is insufficient; we must become adept in value-chain management and invest in local processing and regional manufacturing.
“The era of pit to port must end. We must convert our mineral wealth into domestic economic value—jobs, technology, and manufacturing,” the President declared.
Tinubu demands actionable outcomes from WAES2025
Tinubu further urged West African leaders to “establish the right environment—law, order, and market-friendly policies—while the private sector drives growth.”
According to him, “Our mission is to discover novel and effective methods to invest in our collective future, enhance the business climate, and create opportunities for our youth and women.
“Let us emerge from this summit with actionable outcomes: a renewed commitment to ease of doing business, enhanced intra-regional trade, improved infrastructure connectivity, and innovative ideas that elevate our people from poverty to prosperity. Let us build a West Africa that is investable, competitive, and resilient—one that leads with vision, responsibility, and unity,” he added.
Tinubu, who also serves as the ECOWAS chairman, further underscored the region’s youthful population as its greatest asset, cautioning that it could become a liability if not supported through investment in education, digital infrastructure, and enterprise.
What you should know
The WAES2025 is an initiative spearheaded by President Tinubu.
It precedes the 67th Ordinary Summit of ECOWAS, set to be held on Sunday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The summit attracted the participation of Presidents from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Benin, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau.
Also in attendance were ministers of finance, trade, infrastructure, and foreign affairs from ECOWAS Member States, alongside representatives of key regional economic bodies including the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
Private sector leaders, development partners, and policy experts also participated in the summit, which is expected to yield concrete outcomes to expedite West Africa’s integration agenda, regarded as pivotal to regional peace, security, and prosperity.
