UNGA81: Africa won’t remain passive arena for new scramble for resources – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has warned that Africa will not allow the growing global demand for critical minerals to recreate the exploitative patterns of the colonial era.

Addressing the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, September 24, 2026, President Mahama said African countries must take greater control of their natural resources by processing minerals locally, building industries and creating jobs.

“Africa does not seek charity. Africa seeks equal partnership anchored in mutual respect,” he said.

President Mahama highlighted Africa’s young population, vast arable land and abundance of critical minerals needed to drive the global green energy transition.

He cautioned that the continent must not become a passive supplier of raw materials as demand for critical minerals increases globally.

“But Africa will not remain a passive arena for a new scramble for resources,” he stated.

The President said Africa must retain more value from its mineral wealth instead of continuing to export raw materials for processing elsewhere.

“Critical mineral extraction must not replicate colonial-era exploitation. We will process our minerals at home, build local industries, create dignified jobs for our youth, and retain the value of our natural resources,” President Mahama said.

He further identified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key instrument for driving intra-African trade, industrialisation and economic transformation.

“The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose Secretariat Ghana is proud to host in Accra, is our engine for intra-African trade, structural transformation, and industrial growth,” he said.

President Mahama’s remarks form part of his broader call for a more equitable global economic system in which African countries can derive greater value from their natural resources and participate more meaningfully in the global green energy transition.

Africa is endowed with significant mineral resources, including critical minerals that are increasingly important to the global energy transition.

President Mahama argued that the continent must avoid repeating historical patterns in which its raw materials are extracted and exported while processing, value addition and job creation take place elsewhere.