President Bola Tinubu at the G20 Summit in South Africa 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.
Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir disclosed this on Monday.
Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, called on world leaders to place debt sustainability and responsible mineral governance at the centre of global discussions, insisting that these issues were essential to building a global economy that “uplifts rather than excludes.”
He stressed that sustainable development could not be achieved if nations remained trapped in cycles of debt distress or if mineral exploitation continued 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, was 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 Agenda. He 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.
The President further 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.
His message made it clear that these minerals should drive Africa’s industrialization development rather than entrench historical inequities.
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.
