The atmosphere at the State House in Abuja crackled with energy as Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, delivered a rousing keynote at the 4th African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS). His message was clear: Africa must shift from being a supplier of raw materials to becoming a global powerhouse of industrial production, clean energy innovation, and value-added exports. “Africa’s natural wealth must serve as a driving force for industrial growth, equity, and sustainable development,” Alake declared to an audience of African Heads of State, global investors, and regional ministers. “The actual value of our minerals lies not in the dust and rock, but in the refined products, batteries, alloys, steel, and technologies that emerge when we process them ourselves.” AFNIS 2025 marked a turning point for resource-rich but historically under-industrialised nations. While the conference agenda covered a broad spectrum of themes from energy transition to green financing, it was Dr. Alake’s ambitious, unapologetic, and strategic address that stole the spotlight. While global climate diplomacy often centres around cutting carbon emissions, Alake emphasised a uniquely African approach to energy transition, one that protects economic growth and job creation. “Our energy transition must not come at the cost of industrialisation, food security, or inclusive growth,” he said. “For Nigeria and Africa, this means powering farms and factories, not shutting them down.” He cited real-time figures: Nigeria’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative has attracted over $400 million in investments and converted over 50,000 vehicles to CNG, reducing petroleum demand while boosting clean fuel jobs. In the mining sector, Nigeria secured over $800 million in 2024 alone for mineral processing projects. “This is not just about megawatts and minerals; this is about the millions of lives they touch,” Alake added. Africa holds over 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, yet much of it leaves the continent unprocessed. Alake said he’s determined to end this legacy of extraction without value. The country’s recent reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda have tightened licensing, outlawed raw mineral exports, and mandated local processing for all new mining licenses. “Licensing is no longer a formality, it’s a development contract,” Alake explained. In Q1 2025, Nigeria issued 867 new mining licenses, generating ₦6.95 billion in fees. Sector-wide revenue jumped from ₦6 billion in 2023 to ₦38 billion in 2024 a six-fold increase. Nigeria is also racing ahead in lithium. With global demand soaring for battery metals, the country has commissioned its first $100 million lithium battery plant in Nasarawa, creating 4,000 jobs. A $600 million lithium refinery near Kaduna and a $200 million plant in Abuja are next. “These are not pipe dreams,” Alake insisted. “These are facilities under construction, and they are creating high-skill jobs right now.” Alake’s keynote did not dwell on Nigeria alone. He championed regional energy integration as the pathway to African prosperity. Nigeria’s participation in the ECOWAS Power Pool and upcoming power grid projects with Benin and Cameroon were hailed as economic lifelines not just infrastructure. “Imagine surplus hydropower from Ghana stabilising Nigeria’s grid during peak periods,” he said. “Interconnection is not an option, it is a necessity.” To unify Africa’s mining value chain and reduce investor uncertainty, Alake pushed for the adoption of the African Mineral and Energy Resources Classification and Management System (AMREC) and the Pan-African Resources Reporting Code (PARC). These home-grown frameworks, recently approved by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), will regulate exploration, improve investor confidence, and offer a credible alternative to foreign certification regimes. “We’re developing a system that matches and competes with the best in the world,” he announced, noting that Nigeria will issue regulations soon to make compliance mandatory. The speech also drew attention to the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) and the establishment of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Company, two instruments designed to de-risk investments, support small-scale miners, and attract large-scale global players. In a defining moment of the summit, Dr. Alake backed the new Africans for Africa Fund, urging sovereign wealth funds, pension managers, and regional banks to take control of Africa’s extractive future. “When Africans own the value chain, the benefits multiply,” he said. “Let this be the summit where bold commitments are made, and where value addition becomes a shared continental goal.” Alake closed his speech with a passionate appeal to African unity and resolve. “We’re not looking for charity, nor are we outsourcing our development. We welcome partners but partners who see Africa not just as a source of raw materials, but as a destination for innovation, manufacturing, and shared value.” As applause echoed through the State House, it was clear that the AFNIS 2025 summit had done more than gather policymakers. It had crystallised a new vision where Africa’s wealth serves Africans first. “In Abuja today,” Alake said, invoking the words of Lumumba, “We begin writing a new history not of poverty and dependence but of power, purpose, and prosperity.” With an unwavering focus on reform, localisation, and regional cooperation, Nigeria’s Minister of Power has unveiled a sweeping blueprint for transforming the country’s energy landscape, one that aims not only to electrify homes and businesses but to anchor local content at the heart of national development. Speaking at the 2025 edition of the Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS), the Honourable Minister declared that Nigeria’s energy future must be “built in Africa, powered by Africans, and made to serve Africa.” His sectoral address, delivered under the theme “Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development,” echoed the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, a roadmap that envisions a self-sustaining, tech-enabled, and inclusive power sector. “Our electricity demand is growing fast,” the Minister noted. “But meeting it requires more than just generation. We need clear regulation, sustained investment, and local participation across the value chain from metering to system operations.” At the heart of the transformation is Nigeria’s newly decentralised electricity market. With the passage of the Electricity Act 2023, eleven states have already assumed control of their subnational power sectors tailoring solutions to local realities while still feeding into the broader regional energy ecosystem. “This isn’t a theory. It’s execution,” the Minister asserted. “Decentralisation gives us the ability to deliver smarter, faster energy services that reflect our diverse needs.” Backing that decentralisation are two landmark frameworks, the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP) and the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) designed to guide investment, optimise resource use, and lower long-term costs. Even more notable is the financial turnaround underway. Thanks to tariff reforms affecting Band A customers, market revenue has jumped by 70%, growing from ₦1 trillion in 2023 to ₦1.7 trillion in 2024. This historic revenue growth has trimmed the government’s subsidy burden by ₦1.1 trillion, offering a glimpse into a future where power sector viability and public service delivery can thrive together. “We now have proof that tariff reform and service improvement can go hand in hand,” the Minister said. From rural mini-grids to university campuses, Nigeria is embedding energy development deep into its social fabric. Through the Energising Education Programme (EEP III), the government is delivering 100MW of clean energy to 37 federal universities and 7 teaching hospitals. The initiative is already 70% complete. Other major projects include: DARES Project (Decentralised Access for Renewable Energy Scale-up), backed by a $750 million World Bank facility, aims to electrify 17.5 million Nigerians, with a focus on agriculture and SMEs. Africa Mini-Grid Programme, delivering 948MW across 23 projects through partnerships with 10 Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs). New meter testing stations in Kano and Benin to ensure quality control and boost consumer confidence in locally produced metering solutions. The Minister also hailed ongoing collaboration with the Solar Energy Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (SEMAN) to deepen domestic production of solar technologies. “These projects are about more than power. They’re about building local industries, transferring technology, and creating jobs,” he said. Recognising that policy without people is powerless, the Federal Government is investing heavily in workforce development. The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) is equipping young Nigerians with skills in solar installation, digital metering, and mini-grid operations. Meanwhile, the NextGen Rescos Training Programme is preparing 130 future energy leaders, split evenly across gender and spread across all six geopolitical zones. “This is how we future-proof the sector by training talent that can lead, build, and innovate right here at home,” the Minister explained. Beyond national borders, Nigeria is asserting itself as a key player in Africa’s integrated energy future. As a signatory to the Dar es Salaam Declaration and participant in Mission 300, Nigeria is pushing toward universal access and a net-zero target by 2060. The country is also expanding its cross-border transmission infrastructure under the West African Power Pool, reinforcing connections with Benin, Niger, Togo, and Ghana. This not only enhances grid reliability but positions Nigeria as a power-exporting giant in the regional market. The Minister closed his address with a call for action-driven partnerships. “Local content must be measurable,” he said. “It must translate into jobs, supply chains, and retained value.” As Nigeria turns its policies into projects and its ambitions into results, the message from AFNIS 2025 is clear: the power sector is no longer waiting for change to deliver it, one local solution at a time.