President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on world leaders to place debt sustainability and responsible mineral governance at the centre of global discussions.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir and made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA.
Represented at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President insisted that “the issues are essential to building a global economy that “uplifts rather than excludes.”
He emphasized that Nigeria’s interventions were guided by a commitment to equity, value creation, and dignity for African people.
He stressed that sustainable development cannot be achieved if nations remain trapped in cycles of debt distress or if mineral exploitation continues to replicate historical patterns of inequality.
The Nigerian delegation reaffirmed that Africa must no longer be viewed as a mere supplier of raw materials, but as a continent positioned for value addition, industrial transformation, and innovation.
This shift, they argued, is key to achieving shared prosperity and breaking long-standing structural barriers across the continent.
Addressing the summit’s theme “A fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence” Vice President Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s investments in technology, skills development, and youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope AgendaHe stressed that as global transitions accelerate, they must remain human-centred: “Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive and sustainable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar says Nigeria’s engagement at the G20 Summit in South Africa aligns squarely with its national priorities and its vision for a fairer global economic order.
The Minister who made the assertion on the sidelines of the Summit said Nigeria’s engagement reflects its national priorities and its advocacy for justice, transparency, and shared prosperity within the global system.
Tuggar further stated that Nigeria also urged G20 leaders to support a global framework of fairness in the extraction and trade of critical minerals, insisting that resource-rich African communities must benefit from the industries built around their land.
He further congratulated President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Government of South Africa for the historic hosting of the first-ever G20 Summit on African soil, describing it as a landmark moment that affirms Africa’s rightful place in global governance.
President Tinubu’s message made clear that these minerals should drive Africa’s industrialization development rather than entrench historical inequities.
