G20 Summit 2025: Tinubu Calls for Equity in Global Mineral Trade, Fair AI Governance, and a New Financial Order

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed Nigeria’s call for fairness, transparency, and global equity as world leaders gathered at the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented him at the high-level meeting, President Tinubu delivered a powerful message on three critical issues shaping the future of developing nations: critical minerals, decent work, and artificial intelligence (AI). At a session themed “A Fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence,” the Nigerian leader emphasized that Africa can no longer remain a passive supplier of raw materials while wealthier economies control value chains and reap the highest economic benefits. He insisted that the global community must create a framework that protects mineral-rich communities, guarantees value addition locally, and supports development driven by fairness and accountability. President Tinubu stressed that Nigeria and many African countries possess abundant critical minerals that are central to global energy transition, digital advancement, and industrial production. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are in high demand across the world. Yet, the communities where these minerals are found often receive little benefit from their exploitation.

According to a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Tinubu said Nigeria wants a new global framework that places value addition at the source and ensures that mining communities are not left behind. He said:

“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. The issue before us reaches far beyond the narrow arithmetic of economics and speaks to the moral character of the world we aspire to build.”

The president argued that Africa’s minerals are not just natural deposits, they represent hope for industrial transformation and economic independence. However, this hope will remain unrealized unless the global community commits to fairness, transparency, and accountability in the extraction and trade of critical minerals.
To achieve this, Tinubu called for

• Stronger international regulations preventing exploitation
• Partnerships that ensure technology transfer and capacity building
• Investments that prioritise human dignity over profit
• Mechanisms that guarantee ethical extraction and fair compensation for host communities

In addressing the future of work during green and digital transitions, the Nigerian president highlighted the need to anchor global development on decent work. He stressed that no economic transformation is complete if citizens cannot find meaningful employment and participate in national prosperity.
Tinubu stated that the transitions toward clean energy and digital innovation must remain people-centered.

“Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive, and sustainable. It ensures every person has the opportunity to contribute, thrive, and share in national prosperity.”

Nigeria, he noted, is implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda to equip millions of young people with relevant, future-ready skills. Through digital literacy initiatives, vocational training, and entrepreneurship programs, the government aims to prepare the workforce for emerging global opportunities.
He called on G20 leaders to collaborate with developing nations in areas such as:

• Skills development
• Technology transfer
• Digital infrastructure
• Education and job creation programmes

According to him, only partnerships rooted in inclusivity and mutual respect can bridge global inequality and guarantee shared progress.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was one of the major talking points at the G20 Summit, and President Tinubu made it clear that Nigeria supports a global ethical framework to guide the use and development of AI technologies. He cautioned that while AI holds massive potential for economic growth, innovation, and job creation, it also poses risks that could worsen inequality if left unchecked.
Tinubu emphasized:

“Nigeria supports the creation of global ethical standards for AI that uphold safety, transparency, and equity. We must ensure that AI becomes a tool of empowerment, not exclusion; of job creation, not displacement.”

To unlock AI’s full benefits, he called for deliberate partnerships between:

• Developed and developing nations
• Public and private sectors
• Innovators and regulators

He added that systemic biases must be addressed to ensure that AI technologies do not perpetuate inequality or deepen existing digital divides. Tinubu urged the G20 to maintain sustained multilateral dialogue capable of ensuring the responsible use of AI while promoting innovation that benefits all nations.

In a separate but related address, President Tinubu urged global leaders to reform the international financial architecture, which he described as outdated and incapable of addressing the economic realities of today’s world. He noted that many developing nations, including those in Africa, are trapped in a cycle of unsustainable debt, restrained economic growth, and financial exclusion.
According to Tinubu, the world cannot continue relying on multilateral frameworks “built in an era far removed from present challenges.”
The theme of this year’s summit, focusing on inclusive growth, financing for development, and debt sustainability, reflects the urgent need for change.
Tinubu insisted:

“For trade to be truly inclusive, the G20 must take bold and deliberate steps towards reforming the international financial architecture. Only a more equitable and responsive system can manage global financial flows with fairness, address recurring debt crises with sincerity, and meet the needs of all nations.”

He lamented that rising debt burdens continue to push developing economies into fragility, turning local challenges into global vulnerabilities.
The President called on world leaders to:

• Prioritise debt sustainability
• Promote financial inclusion
• Ensure responsible utilisation of critical minerals
• Support sustainable financing for Africa’s developmental priorities

He added that Africa cannot achieve its development aspirations without meaningful global cooperation and reforms that consider the continent’s unique challenges.
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President Tinubu concluded by urging the G20 to help create a world where Africa is recognized not merely as a reservoir of raw materials but as a key player in global value creation, innovation, and decent work. He emphasized that critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and decent work are interconnected pillars of a shared future. Together, they represent an opportunity to build a global economy that uplifts, empowers, and ensures dignity for every human being.
Tinubu called on global partners to embrace a new era of cooperation, one driven by fairness, compassion, and shared progress.


By PrimeLineInfo