Abuja: The fifth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Summit (AFNIS) is targeting new partnerships, investment opportunities, and practical pathways for execution for the sustainable development of Africa. The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, stated this at a news conference in Abuja ahead of the summit scheduled to hold from June 23 to June 25.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Alake, represented by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Development Company, Martins Imonitie, emphasized that the 2026 AFNIS would prioritize implementation and build on the resolutions reached at previous editions of the conference. The event has been designed to facilitate direct engagement between governments, investors, financiers, project developers, and technical experts through various sessions such as dedicated sovereign meeting rooms, investor engagement sessions, and ministerial dialogues.
Alake noted that the 2026 summit aims to spark discussions on sovereign participation in strategic projects, regional industrial corridors, critical mineral development, infrastructure financing, and energy integration. He highlighted the importance of project de-risking and innovative financing mechanisms to unlock Africa’s resource potential, which could shape policy and investment decisions across the continent.
He pointed out that the summit comes at a crucial moment in Africa’s history, as the demand for critical minerals is accelerating. With global capital seeking stable and bankable destinations, and new technologies transforming industries, the global energy transition presents opportunities for resource-rich countries. Alake asserted that Africa must evolve from merely being a source of raw materials to becoming a center for value creation, industrialization, and shared prosperity.
The theme ‘One Africa, One Resource Vision’ reflects the growing recognition that challenges and opportunities in Africa’s resource sector require collaborative approaches. Discussions will cover critical minerals, energy infrastructure, regional value chains, and technology transfer, emphasizing the need for greater collaboration among African nations.
Participants expected at the summit include government representatives and ministers responsible for mining, petroleum, energy, and industrial development from countries such as the DRC, Kenya, Uganda, and Mauritania. Their participation underscores the consensus that Africa’s resource future must be shaped through dialogue, coordination, and collective action.
Mr. Archibald Troko, Director of Strategy and Platform Development at Core International, the summit’s organizers, mentioned that the event has generated deals worth 600 million dollars over the past four years. Troko added that the summit aims to build continental resource sovereignty by uniting African nations under a shared goal of socio-economic prosperity through sustainable natural resource development, focusing on frameworks for resource sovereignty, local value addition, industrialization, regional integration, and strategic mineral cooperation.