Agreements signed at the Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) 2026 are “eloquent testimonies” that the forum is delivering results, not just talk, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr. Dele Alake said as he closed the two-day event in Abuja on Thursday.
“Last year or two years ago we came to this hall with initiatives and ideas, and some of the signings and ceremonies are the coordination of those ideas,” Alake told delegates. “They’ve not just been talking shops. They have actually been platforms and avenues of results.”
He said the summit’s outcomes prove Africa is moving away from the “old, steel-jaded model of unequal transactional exchange” toward deals that are mutually beneficial.
“There is no argument about where we are going to head. There is actually a convergence of interest. And the interest in Africa is clear: We want to stop the exploitation of prosperity and the importation of poverty,” he said. “That is the kernel of all our discussions.”
All technical presentations at AFNIS, he noted, were geared toward “advancing the cause of solid minerals” and ensuring “the efficiency of exploration, the efficacy of extraction, and the judicious utilization of the accrual resources and revenues for the benefit of our various peoples of Africa, and for future generations.”
Quoting President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, Alake said challenges should “re-invigorate” Africa, not discourage it.
“There is nothing new in human endeavor… without attendant challenges. But challenges are supposed to be surmounted… so that you can set clearly on the path of progress,” he said. “When there are no challenges, you must be careful. There could be booby traps. But when there are challenges the victory is sweeter.”
“Power is never served à la carte,” he added. “Shared prosperity is never shared à la carte. We have to work assiduously to achieve this objective.”
He told delegates that difficulty is a reason to act: “When they say, ‘oh, this thing is difficult, it’s never been done before,’ I say, that’s exactly why we must do this. And where we don’t have challenges, we simulate challenges and in the process of overcoming challenges, you are honing your skills for problem solving.”
Alake said AFNIS 2026 gave the continent another chance to “lay out some of these challenges and provide solutions,” with results already visible.
“We see it in the renewed interest of investors into the mining sector. We see this in the manifestation of increasing revenues across borders, across countries. We see it in the renewed vigor and fervor of our various compatriots in achieving stated goals,” he said.
Invoking his background in journalism, the minister challenged participants to produce tangible outcomes before AFNIS 2027.
“In broadcast journalism when a reporter brings you the story as an editor, you look at the story, which is the written word, then you ask the reporter, where are the actualities? The actualities are the footages that would vividly illustrate the credibility of the stories,” he said.
“By next year, we are looking forward to the actualities of those ideas that were propounded here in the last 48 hours. We don’t want everything to end here… in speeches, in addresses, and remarks, and in photographs. We need actualities.”
Alake urged a “spirit of can do,” citing President Tinubu’s call for Africans who are “thinkers and doers.”
“You must be able to think deeply because it’s through deep thinking that solutions are proffered. That’s just half of the coin. When you do the thinking… you must be a doer. And that is pragmatism, practicalizing your solutions, putting the boots on ground with braids and with bronze.”
He said there are “no shortcuts” to development, noting that developed nations “have gone through the crucibles and throes of development… We are at the elementary stage… We must go through the pains. But we must remain focused. We must never be distracted.”
Closing his remarks, Alake said leadership must cut across all levels of society, not just politics. “Leadership begins from the home front… at the community level… at local or provincial governmental level,” he said. “Once we become used to the attributes and values of correct and sincere leadership, Africa will rise.”
He conveyed President Tinubu’s appreciation and disclosed that he was named “Commander of the African Mineral Strategy Group” during the summit.
Thanking participants for their “patience and resilience,” Alake formally declared AFNIS 2026 closed: “Next year, we’ll be here again to recount the achievements that we initiated at AFNIS 2026.”
