The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has called on African leaders to change their focus from export of raw materials to adding value to continent’s natural resources to enhance their economic worth.
Mr Nketiah said this at the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Movement for the Freedom of Nations in Russia on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
He noted that Africa’s numerous mineral resources must serve as basis for industrialisation on the continent instead of being used to aid development of foreign economies.
The NDC’s National Chairman noted that it is critical for Africa to end the practice of supplying strategic resources for other countries to generate significant value from them.
“The 21st century must not become another chapter in which Africa supplies strategic resources while others capture the greater share of the value they create,” he stressed.
Mr Nketiah expressed the view that the growing global demand for Africa’s critical minerals presents a exceptional opportunity to change the course of its economies.
“My position remains firm: the 21st century must not become another chapter of raw material extraction. True power will come only when we possess the industrial capability to transform our resources into home-grown technology, knowledge and value,” he said.
According to him, a key hurdle Africa faces is whether the continent would partake in the emerging global economy as an equal partner or remain a supplier of raw materials.
“The question before Africa is not whether the world is interested in our resources. Every nation pursues its interests. The real question is whether Africa will participate in this new era of global competition as an equal partner or merely as a supplier of inputs for the ambitions of others,” he quizzed.
He further urged Africa’s leaders to ensure that sovereignty is backed by economic capacity, while freedom translates into shared prosperity for its people.
