The re-election was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori. The AMSG is a forum of African ministers responsible for minerals and mining, established to promote joint action toward maximising beneficiation and value addition from the continent’s vast mineral resources.
Dr Alake was first elected as the pioneer chairman of the group in 2024 on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum. He retained the position at the group’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, underscoring the confidence of member states in his leadership.
Expanded leadership structure
As part of broader institutional reforms, the AGM approved the creation of additional leadership positions aimed at strengthening governance, inclusiveness and regional balance. The newly created roles include Vice-Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General and Financial Secretary, with positions distributed across Africa’s sub-regions.
Under the revised structure, the positions of Chairman and Vice-Chairman remain elective and are reserved for serving ministers, while other roles are appointed by member states based on regional zoning.
Following the decisions of the AGM, Dr Alake continues as Chairman, representing West Africa. The Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Louis Watum Kabamba, was elected Vice-Chairman, representing Central Africa. Uganda retains the position of Secretary-General for East Africa, Mauritania was appointed Deputy Secretary-General for North Africa, while South Africa was confirmed as Financial Secretary.
The AGM also ratified a two-year tenure for the executive committee and agreed that zoned positions belong to member countries rather than individuals. This means successors automatically assume the roles when serving ministers are replaced, ensuring institutional continuity.
Call for deeper collaboration
In his acceptance speech, Dr Alake expressed appreciation to his colleagues for the renewed confidence and urged African nations to intensify collaboration to unlock the continent’s economic potential through solid minerals development.
He called on member states to agree on minimum financial contributions to the group and to strengthen its budgeting framework, noting that predictable funding would enhance efficiency and accountability.
“Once member states contribute, accountability will naturally follow. This will enhance transparency and strengthen the credibility of the AMSG before the global community,” he said.
Key resolutions and future plans
The AGM resolved to institutionalise quarterly ministerial meetings and approved the establishment of standing committees to support the group’s work. These include committees on Legal, Institutional Affairs and Human Resources; Sustainability and Responsible Mining; and Finance, Budget and Resource Mobilisation.
Members also agreed to take concrete steps toward hosting a global minerals conference in Africa, modelled after the Future Minerals Forum, as part of efforts to position the continent more prominently in global mineral value chains.
Infrastructure and value addition focus
Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman, Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Dr. Dele Alake (middle). On his immediate left is the Vice-Chairman, AMSG and Minister of Mines, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), HE Louis Watum Kabamba; To his immediate right is Moses Engadu, Secretary- General, AMSG; Mr. Vincent Kedi, Commissioner for Licensing Administration representing the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of the Republic of Uganda (2nd right) and a cross-section of other African ministers of minerals/mining from Tanzania, Liberia, Mauritania, South Sudan, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Burundi, Ghana, Somalia, Malawi at the 2nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) held on the sidelines of the just concluded Future Minerals Forum (FMF), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 18th January, 2026. CREDIT: Solid Minerals Development Ministry.
Earlier, speaking at a leadership roundtable themed “Africa: Unlocking Infrastructure Funding for Copper-Belt Production,” Dr Alake emphasised that mineral extraction alone cannot drive sustainable economic transformation without reliable infrastructure, coordinated policies and deliberate value-addition strategies.
He argued that the critical issue is not the existence of mineral corridors, but how they are financed, governed and structured to support industrial growth, regional integration and long-term stability.
“What matters is how financing is designed to reduce risk, attract private capital and sustain commercial viability while advancing national and regional development objectives,” he said.
Dr Alake cited the Lobito Corridor in Angola as a successful example and highlighted other strategic opportunities, including the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor, the Walvis Bay Corridor, as well as the Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors. He stressed the importance of aligning rail, port, power and industrial planning to unlock large-scale capital.
He also noted that offtake arrangements, harmonised regulatory frameworks and clearly defined industrial clusters are essential to attracting investment along Africa’s mineral corridors.
“The broader vision of the AMSG is to ensure that Africa’s mineral infrastructure is strategically designed, responsibly financed and efficiently managed in a rapidly evolving global environment—not to discourage investment, but to ensure it aligns with long-term stability, transparency and shared economic prosperity,” he added.
Strengthening Africa’s mining future
Formed in 2024, the Africa Minerals Strategy Group serves as a platform for policy coordination, knowledge sharing and joint action among African countries to strengthen the mining sector. The group brings together ministers from across the continent to harmonise strategies for industrial development, regional integration and infrastructure investment.
As Africa seeks to move beyond the export of raw minerals toward higher-value processed products, the AMSG is positioning itself as a central driver of a more coordinated, resilient and value-driven mining ecosystem across the continent.