Alake advocates energy hubs to strengthen Africa’s mineral supply chain
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has called on the United States and African nations to prioritise the establishment of regional energy hubs to strengthen Africa’s mineral supply chain and accelerate cross-border mining industrialisation.
Alake made the call while speaking at a high-level panel titled “Critical Minerals in Africa: Meeting Global Demand” at the ongoing Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., United States, where he emphasised that sustainable partnerships with Africa remain key to meeting rising global demand for critical minerals.
He urged stakeholders to develop regional industrial corridors similar to the Lobito Corridor, noting that initiatives such as the Lagos–Abidjan corridor and the Walvis Bay Corridor could unlock vast mineral potential across the continent while boosting infrastructure, energy access and regional integration.
“The development of nuclear power in one West African country, for instance, can service an entire corridor. With that in place, local beneficiation, technology transfer, manufacturing and cross-border industrialisation will naturally follow,” the minister said.
The minister highlighted reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, stating that improved governance structures, enhanced regulatory frameworks, digitisation of licensing processes and ease of doing business have repositioned Nigeria’s mining sector for growth.
According to him, the reforms now guarantee secure tenure for mineral title holders and provide the long-term stability required for investment decisions, adding that the government is also expanding the generation of certified geological data to support investors.
On security, Alake acknowledged existing challenges but said progress had been made through the establishment of Mining Marshals, revealing that over 350 suspected illegal miners had been arrested within a year, with more than 150 currently facing prosecution.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s openness to genuine investors, highlighting incentives such as tax waivers on imported mining equipment and full repatriation of profits after due payments, adding that over $2.6 billion in foreign direct investment had been attracted into the sector in the last two and a half years.
