FG seeks 30% local processing of Africa’s raw materials

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, has urged African countries to establish national and continental targets for processing at least 30 per cent of their raw materials before export.
Udeh said achieving the target would help accelerate industrialisation, create jobs and generate wealth across the continent.
He spoke on Monday in Abuja while declaring open the second edition of the African Raw Materials Summit 2026, which brings together representatives of African countries to discuss ways of turning the continent’s natural resources into finished products.
The minister said countries should set targets based on their individual capacities, challenges and development priorities, noting that the proposed value-addition goal would require adequate infrastructure and other supporting conditions.
He described the summit as an opportunity for participating countries to review commitments made at the inaugural edition and encourage one another to implement agreed measures.
Udeh listed Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen local processing, including proposed legislation to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund and amend the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Act.
He said the amendment bill had been passed by the National Assembly and expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu would sign it into law soon. He also cited infrastructure upgrades and improvements in logistics as part of the measures being pursued.
The minister called for a permanent secretariat for the annual summit to document commitments and monitor implementation, suggesting that it could be based in Nigeria or another African country.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, said the council had developed and deployed pilot processing plants and industrial machinery for mineral beneficiation, agricultural processing and chemical extraction.
He added that the council had developed the Nigerian Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products to map raw material deposits, availability, processing capacity and manufacturing demand.
Ike-Muonso said Africa must move away from exporting unprocessed resources while importing finished goods, arguing that local value addition was essential to translating the African Continental Free Trade Area into economic prosperity.
He cited the continent’s role in supplying cobalt and cocoa to global markets, despite importing products such as batteries and chocolate made from those resources.
According to him, Nigeria exported large quantities of raw cocoa, cashew nuts and sesame seeds in 2025, while the benefits of processing and manufacturing were largely realised elsewhere.
He said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offered access to a market of about 1.3 billion people, but warned that the opportunity would be limited without stronger local manufacturing capacity.