Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has said that Africa was not seeking for charity, but seeking partnerships that are fair, transparent, and founded on mutual respect.
Alake stated this at the opening of the fourth edition of the Africans Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) on Wednesday in Abuja.
The summit holding from Wednesday to Friday is themed `Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development`.
He said Africa was endowed with natural resources, especially the critical minerals essential for the energy transition, but seeks investors, who would uphold its commitment to local content and sustainable development.
“As we invite investment, we must be clear, we are not looking for charity, nor are we outsourcing our development.
“ We welcome partners, those who see Africa not just as a source of raw materials, but as a destination for innovation, manufacturing, and shared value.
“ We seek partnerships that are fair, transparent, and founded on mutual respect. This means joint ventures where African companies and communities have real equity.
“It means insisting on local content policies that foster skills development and supply chain growth. It means securing fair financing so we are not burdened with unsustainable debt, but instead empowered to co-create prosperity,“ he said.
According to him, Nigeria is collaborating with regional partners, such as the Africa Finance Corporation, to de-risk projects in mining and infrastructure.
The minister said that Africa should be promoted as a continent of possibilities, not of problems.
He said the summit should stand as a reminder of the stage, where Africa’s ambition was matched with action, and where the continent, as a unified bloc, showed its determination to build a new chapter of industrial power and energy sovereignty.
According to him, Africa is at a crossroads as a continent rich in natural resources with immense potential to meet sustainable development goals, yet its electricity generation remains too low to drive widespread industrialisation and equitable development.
“This year, electricity generation in the continent’s energy market is estimated to reach 866.8 billion kilowatt-hours, growing at an annual rate of 1.75 per cent from 2025 to 2029.
“Much of this will be consumed in residential areas, leaving the rest for transportation and industry, “ he said.
He explained that, faced with this challenge, African countries were intensifying efforts to mobilise resources and attract investments into their energy sectors.
In Nigeria, he said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was implementing the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) to reduce petroleum demand, which Nigerians have embraced.
“According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, at least 2,500 vehicles converted to CNG at the authority’s 186 centres nationwide in 2024.
“These conversions have increased the number of Nigerian gas vehicles to approximately 50,000 and attracted over $400 million in investment.
“The conversation around climate change and emissions reduction is critical, but for us, it cannot be separated from the realities of development,“ he said.
He, however warned, that energy transition in Africa must not come at the cost of industrialisation, food security, or inclusive growth.
Alake noted that for Nigeria and Africa as a whole, it means powering farms and factories, not shutting them down, it means creating new industries, not dismantling the ones we have.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Faruk Yabo, described AFINIS as a catalyst for Africa’s transformation.
He noted that the theme captured Africa’s shared ambition to harness its natural and energy resources in ways that promote inclusiveness, drive technological progress, and strengthen economic resilience.
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