Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has said Nigeria’s engagement at the G20 Summit in South Africa aligns squarely with its national priorities and its vision for a fairer global economic order. He made the assertion on the sidelines of the Summit, noting that Nigeria’s engagement reflects its national priorities and its advocacy for justice, transparency, and shared prosperity within the global system. This was contained in a statement signed by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s representative at the Third Session of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized that Nigeria’s interventions were guided by a commitment to equity, value creation, and dignity for African people.
President Tinubu, in his message to the summit, called on world leaders to place debt sustainability and responsible mineral governance at the centre of global discussions, insisting that these issues are essential to building a global economy that “uplifts rather than excludes.” He stressed that sustainable development cannot be achieved if nations remain trapped in cycles of debt distress or if mineral exploitation continues to replicate historical patterns of inequality.
The Nigerian delegation reaffirmed that Africa must no longer be viewed as a mere supplier of raw materials but as a continent positioned for value addition, industrial transformation, and innovation. This shift, they argued, is key to achieving shared prosperity and breaking long-standing structural barriers across the continent.
Addressing the summit’s theme “A fair and Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence” Vice President Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s investments in technology, skills development, and youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope AgendaHe stressed that as global transitions accelerate, they must remain human-centred: “Decent work is the anchor that makes these transitions fair, inclusive and sustainable,” he said.
Tuggar further stated that Nigeria also urged G20 leaders to support a global framework of fairness in the extraction and trade of critical minerals, insisting that resource-rich African communities must benefit from the industries built around their land. President Tinubu’s message made clear that these minerals should drive Africa’s industrialization development rather than entrench historical inequities.
He further congratulated President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Government of South Africa for the historic hosting of the first-ever G20 Summit on African soil, describing it as a landmark moment that affirms Africa’s rightful place in global governance.
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