Sierra Leone’s President and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, placed Africa’s critical minerals at the centre of global economic dialogue at the G20 Summit 2025 (#G20SouthAfrica). Delivering a powerful intervention in Johannesburg, President Bio called for the creation of a G20-Africa Compact on Critical Minerals, describing it as a vital framework to promote fairness, value addition, and transparency in the global clean-energy transition in Johannesburg, on Saturday 22 November 2025.
President Bio emphasized that Africa holds nearly one-third of the world’s critical mineral reserves, essential for renewable energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. Sierra Leone, he noted, contributes significantly through its deposits of iron ore, rutile, bauxite, and diamonds. However, he cautioned that without equitable structures in place, the continent risks repeating historical patterns where African resources fuel global progress while local economies capture minimal value.
“For too long, our resources have powered global industries while our nations captured the least value. This generation must break that cycle starting with a G20-Africa Compact anchored in justice,” President Bio asserted.
Rooted in a growing global consensus, his call reflects the understanding that the energy transition must be equitable. He explained that while Africa has long supplied the raw materials that built industries across the world, it has remained largely excluded from downstream value chains. The proposed compact seeks to change this by promoting transparent contracts, encouraging investment in mineral processing and refinement, and establishing revenue models that prioritize African development and job creation.
“It is not enough for Africa to supply the minerals. We must process them, refine them, and benefit from them. That is how we create jobs, industries, and transformation,” he emphasized.
Although the Summit’s theme “Building Our Economy: The Role of Trade, Finance for Development and the Debt Burden” covered a broad range of economic concerns, President Bio brought renewed focus to the geopolitical importance of Africa’s mineral wealth. He argued that the global clean-energy future cannot be realized without Africa, and therefore Africa must not be excluded from the value generated by that future.
He also linked the minerals debate to broader economic challenges facing the continent. President Bio highlighted that slowing global growth, rising debt servicing costs, and tightening financial conditions continue to strain low-income countries. He reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s support for accelerated debt restructuring, expanded Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) through regional development banks, and long-term financing for infrastructure, digital systems, and trade.
On climate change, President Bio reminded world leaders that Africa remains disproportionately affected, despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions. He shared Sierra Leone’s firsthand experiences from flooding and landslides to erratic rainfall disrupting agriculture and reiterated his call for a West Africa Climate Adaptation Acceleration Facility to address food security, clean energy access, and coastal resilience.
Turning to technology, he stressed the need for ethical, inclusive, and equitable governance of artificial intelligence. He argued that while AI and digital innovation present immense opportunities for Africa’s development, global frameworks must ensure fair access and avoid deepening technological inequality.
In closing, President Bio urged G20 leaders to embrace a new development compact grounded in fairness, justice, and shared prosperity. He reaffirmed that the proposed G20 Africa Compact on Critical Minerals is not only an economic opportunity but a historic chance to correct long-standing imbalances and secure a just future for the African continent.
