African governments are championing for more collaborations at this year’s Future Minerals Forum underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. CNBC Africa’s Anastassia Arendse spoke to Moses Michael Engadu, Secretary-General, Africa Minerals Strategy Group for more.
African governments are championing for more collaborations at this year’s Future Minerals Forum underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. CNBC Africa’s Anastassia Arendse spoke to Moses Michael Engadu. Here’s more. What stood out for us was the issue of responsible supply of minerals because as you all know Africa is a leading producer continent and our countries are looking at how do we maximize the benefit from our minerals and it starts with being responsibly and sustainably looking at these minerals in terms of both extraction, the exploitation, commercialization and in fact what really was a key point for us was the issue of responsible sourcing and traceability because we have a big challenge that as a result of some of the mining practices but also some of the issues that are happening because of the conflict affected areas we having a big challenge with meeting international regulations and this requires that we set the standards and not only just be able to follow standards set by other regions we also set them so this reason that the Africa Mineral Strategy Group launched an initiative on responsible sourcing it's called the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative that aims at uniting our countries, industry as well as civil society to build an ecosystem for responsible sourcing in Africa and we're backing this because we recognize implementing it given the fact that different markets have different standards and jurisdictions so this year we'll be launching the Africa Responsible Sourcing Guidelines and we're backing the implementation of that by leveraging blockchain technology and so we launched a platform for blockchain because we recognize that technology advancement is very important in the mining sector whether it's good mining practices whether it's removing mercury and the health hazards that are there so these are the things that came out of the eminence roundtable and the priorities that have been agreed by the government are for development, collaboration, performance as well as the sustainability so those are the priorities that are coming up and as a continent this is what we really want to follow and I would like to thank the Federal Republic of Nigeria because they have been the ones leading the work on that coordination group. We'll talk about the priorities in a bit but since your involvement with the Future Minerals Forum and having followed the conversations do you get a sense that Africa's voice is finally being heard or is there still a lot of work to do in terms of everybody on the continent being in agreement and the voice amplifying and becoming louder? I think that's a fantastic question. I believe that the Africa's voice is being heard because last year on the 9th of January the African governments came together and formed the Africa Minerals Strategy Group at the Future Minerals Forum at the Future Minerals Forum with the aim of facilitating first the cooperation among African nations but also fostering collaboration with strategic partners so because we established as a key outcome of the Future Minerals Forum we have been working on ensuring that we have a common agenda, we have a stronger and meaningful participation in this forum and we now see better results. This is why one of the three coordination groups is led by Africa and we have African countries participating in the work of FMF and part of why this particular platform is inclusive because we are looking at a super region and the super region is comprised of Africa, Western and Central Asia so we are leading the African agenda and together with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we have entered into an arrangement where everything they want to do with our member states they go through the Africa Minerals Strategy Group so at least that's one achievement that enables us to have a higher standing. Well on a lighter note the first minister to speak was from Nigeria so that could tell you that the African voice is heard but it's work in progress this is a journey not a destination and even us on ourselves as Africa we are cooperating better in fact tomorrow we will be holding the Africa Leadership Roundtable and its topic is around responsible supply of minerals and traceability and so we're getting industry, we're getting ministers, we're also getting the regulators to come together and look at what are the realities of Africa what matters to us what it is so what we are seeing more is the African voice is now being heard but also there is a commonality in what is being said we're all saying we need to add value to our minerals because we have a lot of young people who need jobs we're tired of pea to pot model where our resources became a curse rather than a blessing so this particular forum allows for the greater participation of Africa in any case without Africa there can be no minerals no energy transition so this is what we want to continue shaping the agenda and be able to influence greater conversations in these spaces and this is why we organize these events within the forum which are Africa-centric and Africa-led and we think that the next step would be domesticating the conversations of FMF in Africa so we are working with the Saudi Ministry of Industrial and Mineral Resources and we shall be hosting an FMF special meeting in Africa so we feel happy with this relationship. I'm glad that you feel happy with the relationship you mentioned two things and it brings up the topic of geopolitics in the sense that as much as we're having these conversations here in Saudi Arabia there's quite a lot happening on the geopolitical front we're seeing a little bit of French shoring that's happening you know west and east how does Africa navigate its way as all of these things play out on the global platform? I think as Africa and I think this is the message that we we've been advocating through our ministerial group and one of the things we're saying is we are neither east nor west south or north we are Africa and it's about our strategic interests what are the strategic interests of Africa we should be able to work with everybody who wishes us good and wishing us good means doing the things that make Africa thrive that make Africa prosperous doing the things that matter to us as a continent especially in the utilization of our minerals what we are seeing which is also a good thing you know geopolitics is also a good thing now we are being called more and more to the table so if you do not want to give us what we want somebody else is knocking on the table so this is good for us but all in all the geopolitics should not be able to impact our policy alignment our decisions our need to invest as countries in our mineral sector we need to do mineral exploration so we know the true value of our wealth we have an initiative called unlocking Africa's natural capital because we're trying to encourage our countries to say if you know what you have then you have a stronger negotiating power and we think that it's too early for Africa to be negotiating with any single bloc when we don't even know what we have then the other one of course is we need to align our policies because the geopolitical influence goes beyond just the mineral sector we had the case where companies were competing you know some from the west some from the east and even from Africa and because of the foreign aid that our countries are receiving you get and your influences and these countries these companies tend to win these bids not because they are the best but because for example and many an ambassador will visit the minister of health tell them we think we are going to reduce the aid when they finally find out why you're not giving our companies these are taxpayers these things sort of have to change because as Africa the future is bright but only as much as we're able to influence it and we think that the geopolitical influence should not determine what we do and we are quite happy to the fact that South Africa and its leadership of the G20 is focusing on you know a collaborative and collective approach of African countries even though they're not G20 especially around minerals to work together to come and bring their voices and we're so happy with our head our presidents because they seem to be sending one strong message we need trade not hate we need better access to financing and that we need to do something because our mineral sector is the future the diversification of the economy lies in minerals whether it's industrialization or food security you need minerals so we think Africa is safe let's be greedy let's take be selfish but also let's take advantage of the second opportunity is scramble now for African minerals especially due to the global energy transition so they come we welcome with open arms but let's set our own targets thank you
Theme: Africa's efforts towards responsible mineral sourcing and sustainable development at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh
African governments are coming together at this year's Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a focus on responsible mineral sourcing. CNBC Africa's Anastassia Arendse recently sat down with Moses Michael Engadu, Secretary-General of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, to discuss the continent's efforts in maximizing the benefits from its mineral resources. Engadu highlighted the importance of responsible and sustainable practices in mineral extraction, exploitation, and commercialization. One key issue discussed was responsible sourcing and traceability, as Africa faces challenges in meeting international regulations due to mining practices and conflicts in certain areas. In response, the Africa Mineral Strategy Group launched the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative to unite countries, industry, and civil society in creating a framework for responsible mineral sourcing. The initiative includes the launch of Africa Responsible Sourcing Guidelines and the utilization of blockchain technology to enhance transparency in the supply chain. Engadu emphasized the significance of technology advancements in the mining sector, such as utilizing blockchain to improve mining practices and reduce health hazards like mercury exposure. The priorities identified at the forum include development, collaboration, performance, and sustainability, showcasing Africa's commitment to responsible and inclusive mineral sourcing practices. The Federal Republic of Nigeria was praised for leading the coordination group's efforts. Engadu acknowledged the progress made in amplifying Africa's voice in the global minerals conversation, citing the establishment of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group as a crucial step towards cooperation and collaboration within the continent. He noted that Africa is taking a more prominent role in shaping the agenda and influencing discussions at international forums, emphasizing the need to add value to mineral resources to benefit local economies and create job opportunities for young people. Engadu also addressed the issue of geopolitics and its impact on Africa's mineral sector, highlighting the importance of strategic alignment and policy coherence to safeguard the continent's interests. He stressed the importance of African countries working together to leverage their natural resources effectively and avoid external influences that may hinder their development prospects. Engadu concluded by expressing optimism about Africa's future in the mineral sector, urging countries to capitalize on the current scramble for African minerals driven by the global energy transition. He emphasized the need for African nations to set their own targets and priorities to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity in the sector.
"We're tired of pea to pot model where our resources became a curse rather than a blessing."
['Africa', 'Minerals', 'Responsibility', 'Sourcing', 'Development', 'Collaboration', 'Geopolitics', 'Technology', 'Blockchain', 'Energy Transition']