President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged world leaders to adopt a global framework that ensures communities hosting critical minerals in Nigeria and across Africa benefit substantially from their natural endowments. He also backed the creation of ethical global standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI), to ensure the technology advances development without deepening inequality.
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, themed “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence,” President Tinubu stressed that critical minerals represent an opportunity for industrial transformation on the continent—not merely a stock of natural resources.
Tinubu said resource extraction must be governed by fairness, transparency, and accountability to guarantee that economic gains translate into real improvements in the lives of host communities.
“Nigeria calls for a global framework that promotes value addition at the source, supports local beneficiation, and ensures that communities hosting these resources are not left behind,” he said. “This speaks to the moral character of the world we aspire to build.”
Decent Work, Digital Skills as Cornerstones of Inclusive Growth
President Tinubu emphasised that global transitions—whether green or digital—must remain people-centred. Decent work, he said, is the anchor for sustainable and inclusive transformation.
He highlighted Nigeria’s investments under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including efforts to equip young people with digital literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurship skills to prepare them for emerging opportunities.
Tinubu called on G20 leaders to increase cooperation in technology transfer, capacity building, and human-centred investments, warning that profit-driven approaches would undermine long-term development.
Nigeria Backs Global Ethical Standards for AI
On artificial intelligence, President Tinubu warned of the risks of allowing AI to reshape societies in ways that exclude vulnerable populations. He urged the G20 to develop global ethical standards that ensure transparency, safety, equity, and broad access.
He called for deliberate partnerships between the Global North and South, as well as between governments and private-sector innovators, to ensure equitable distribution of AI’s benefits.
Tinubu Seeks Overhaul of International Financial System
In a separate intervention at the summit, Tinubu called for the G20 to champion reforms that address systemic barriers to inclusive global trade and finance. He argued that multilateral financial frameworks—designed in a different era—no longer reflect modern economic realities and continue to place developing countries at a disadvantage.
Describing rising debt burdens as a serious drag on growth, particularly in Africa, Tinubu urged the G20 to prioritise debt sustainability and responsible utilisation of critical minerals in its inclusive development agenda.
“Only a more equitable and more responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness and address recurring debt crises with sincerity,” he said.
He insisted that Africa’s development aspirations require sustained commitment from the G20, especially in mobilising affordable financing and eliminating structures that perpetuate marginalisation.
Tinubu concluded by calling for a global economy that uplifts rather than excludes, and for a future in which Africa emerges not just as a supplier of raw materials but as a hub of value creation, innovation, and dignified work.