AFNIS 2025: Landmark Summit for Resource Sovereignty and the Launch of the Africans for Africa Fund

The African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) 2025, held from July 15-17, 2025, in Abuja, successfully convened key stakeholders to address the critical need for Africa to leverage its vast natural resource wealth to drive industrial growth, equity, and sustainable development. Under the overarching theme “Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development”, the summit underscored a significant pivot towards value addition and local ownership across the continent’s lucrative mining and energy sectors. A pivotal moment during the summit was the official launch of the Africans for Africa Fund (AfA Fund), poised to usher in a new era for African ownership.

Key Highlights and Commitments from AFNIS 2025:

• Prioritizing Local Content and Value Addition: A central tenet of the summit was the imperative to move beyond the export of raw materials. Emphasis was placed on building robust local value chains, processing minerals on African soil, and promoting policies to prioritize local human and material resources. A remarkable highlight underscoring this theme was the high-level tour of the Asba and Wisdom International Lithium Processing Plant.

• Nigeria Joins Africa Minerals Strategy Group: A significant development was Nigeria’s official signing of the Charter, formally joining the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) as a full member. This solidifies Nigeria’s commitment to a unified African approach focusing on value addition, exploration, African capital mobilization, and critical mineral security.

• Leveraging Technology and Data: The transformative power of technology and data in resource exploration and management was recognized. Presentations by GeoScan Technology and Oildynamix showcased AI-powered satellite image analytics and cutting-edge solutions to accelerate and enhance mineral exploration, significantly reducing costs and increasing accuracy. The importance of comprehensive data generation in understanding a country’s resource potential and attracting investment was emphasized by X-Calibur Smart Mapping. This new technological capability suggests a need for evolving criteria for reporting mining projects for listing on stock markets and closing investments (such as JORC or SAMREC), as satellite imagery offers highly accurate and efficient data.

The Africans for Africa Fund: Driving Mineral Sovereignty

A significant focus of AFNIS 2025 was placed on mobilizing domestic capital for African development. The “Africans for Africa” initiative (AfA), first launched during AFNIS 2024, saw the official unveiling of its fund in 2025. This groundbreaking initiative, stemming from the collaborative efforts of Core International, Motimosé Metals, Africa Minerals Strategy Group, and Allied Trust Asset Management, aims to empower Africans to take an active and equitable role in harnessing their vast mineral wealth.

The AfA Initiative will achieve three critical objectives: create wealth for a meaningful magnitude of Africans from African resources, gain respectable parity alongside foreign exploration and mining companies, and facilitate a visible uplifting of frontline communities. This includes supporting African participation in projects listed on exchanges in Australia, Canada, and the UK, and is designed to support all projects on the continent regardless of ownership, recognizing that not everyone can bear the development risks themselves.

The official launch of the Africans for Africa Fund on July 17, 2025, marks a pivotal moment, solidifying the AfA Initiative as a long-term platform for empowerment, investment, and transformation. As Tim Tokun, the appointed Managing Director of the Africans for Africa Initiative, and the leadership proudly state, the vision is clear: “Africans building Africa not just in word, but in capital, capacity, and community”.

The AfA initiative is headed by an esteemed Advisory Board comprising seasoned experts from across the African mining, finance, and public sectors. Notable members include Segun Lawson, CEO, Thor Explorations Plc (Nigeria); Osam Iyahen, Senior Director, Africa Finance Corporation (Nigeria); Rt. Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng, Former Chancellor of the Exchequer (UK); Prof. Thomson Sinkala, MD, Thomro Investments (Zambia); John Sisay, CEO, Consolidated Copper Corporation (Sierra Leone); Zenzi Awases, President, Association of Women and Mining in Africa (Namibia) ; and Thabile Makgala, VP, Rio Tinto (South Africa).

Conclusion and Future Outlook:

AFNIS 2025 served as a vital platform, unequivocally demonstrating Africa’s commitment to transforming its natural resource sector from a raw material exporter to a hub for value-added production and sustainable development. The summit’s strong emphasis on local content, exemplified by the high-level tour of the Asba and Wisdom International Lithium Processing Plant, and Nigeria’s formal entry into the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, highlight a unified continental vision. Furthermore, discussions on leveraging cutting-edge technology and data for improved reporting and exploration underscore a forward-thinking approach to resource management.

The official launch of the Africans for Africa Fund, a groundbreaking initiative designed to mobilize domestic capital and foster African ownership in mining projects across the continent and on international exchanges, marks a significant step towards achieving mineral sovereignty. This fund, backed by a distinguished Advisory Board, embodies the spirit of self-reliance and equitable development that permeated AFNIS 2025.

As Suleiman Zakari, Co-Chair of AFNIS and Co-Founder of the AfA Initiative, reflected on the summit’s achievements, he stated, “AFNIS 2025 has been the most impactful edition yet, witnessing strong interest and a clear recognition from leaders and investors that working together is paramount for Africa’s resource future”.

We eagerly anticipate building on this momentum and invite all stakeholders to join us for the 5th Anniversary of AFNIS, returning on June 23-25, 2026, with the theme: “One Africa, One Resource Vision: Forging a Continental Alliance for Sustainable Development”.

For more information:

• AFNIS: www.afnisummit.com
• Africans for Africa Initiative: https://afainitiative.org/