United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has used the Unstoppable Africa 2026 summit in New York to call for a fundamental shift in how Africa’s natural resources are managed, insisting that critical minerals and other commodities must generate local value and decent jobs instead of being shipped overseas in raw form.
Speaking at the fifth annual Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) gathering on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, Guterres warned against the “plundering” of Africa’s resources amid intensifying geopolitical competition. “We must ensure that Africa’s vast natural resources, particularly critical minerals, create local value and decent jobs, rather than simply being shipped overseas,” he said.
Guterres argued that Africa’s growing influence in global markets must be matched by stronger local industries and value chains. He urged leaders to move beyond exporting raw materials, including critical minerals and crude oil, by developing domestic processing, manufacturing and integrated supply chains that retain more economic value on the continent.
The message aligns with the African Union’s Green Minerals Strategy, launched in 2025, which calls for value addition at source, regional industrialisation and reduced dependence on raw mineral exports. At the BRICS Summit in New Delhi earlier in September, Guterres made a similar point, stressing that critical minerals powering the global energy transition must be managed responsibly so that producing countries and communities benefit from jobs and value creation.
Permanent African Seats on the Security CouncilBeyond economics, Guterres renewed his long-standing call for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council. He said sustainable development and prosperity require peace and political stability, and that the current governance architecture fails to reflect Africa’s demographic weight and interests.
“Africa needs a permanent presence on the United Nations Security Council, where it can contribute to dialogue and action for the whole globe,” he said, arguing that both the Security Council and international financial institutions must be reformed to give developing countries, especially in Africa, a stronger voice in global decision-making.
Guterres also pressed for reforms to the international financial system and multilateral development banks, calling for deeper investment, stronger partnerships and greater mobilisation of private finance to support Africa’s development agenda. He said these changes are essential to help the continent achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to ensure that economic growth translates into jobs, industrialisation and improved living standards.
For African leaders and investors, the Secretary-General’s message was clear: the test of Africa’s rise will be whether its minerals and other resources are leveraged to build local industries and create decent work, while the continent secures a stronger, permanent seat at the table of global power.
Africa Presents is a Pan-African digital magazine and monthly publication covering politics, business, economy, culture, tech, and the stories shaping Africa and its diaspora. Visit africapresents.com and follow @AfricaPresents for daily coverage and monthly themed magazine editions.
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