President Julius Maada Bio has called for a fundamental change in how African nations manage their natural resources, advocating for the processing and value addition of materials on the continent instead of exporting raw resources.
Speaking at UNSTOPPABLE AFRICA 2026, President Bio highlighted the necessity for Africa to process minerals into finished and semi-finished products. He argued this shift is vital for driving industrialisation, stimulating economies, and creating jobs for the continent’s growing youth population.
As the first African Head of State to address this year’s programme, President Bio underscored the strategic importance of mineral value addition. He noted that enhancing mineral processing and downstream manufacturing across Africa would strengthen national economies, increase incomes, and provide significant employment opportunities, particularly for young people entering the workforce.
He also stressed that achieving this transition requires coordinated public policy and increased investment from both public and private sectors. “Africa must move away from the extraction and export of raw materials. We need to process and transform our minerals on the continent and invest in the infrastructure to drive value addition, strengthen our economies, and create meaningful jobs and opportunities for our youth,” he stated.
The President further emphasised the need for investment in infrastructure to unlock productive potential, highlighting the importance of local processing capabilities. He called for increased funding in transportation, energy, logistics, and industrial infrastructure to support manufacturing and supply chains, asserting, “Infrastructure is a necessary condition for scalable, sustainable economic transformation.”
