Nigeria to G20: End debt traps and unfair mineral extraction now

By Ukpono Ukpong

26 November 2025

News

Nigeria has told world leaders at the G20 Summit in South Africa that the time has come to end debt traps holding developing nations down and to stop unfair mineral extraction that leaves resource-rich African communities stuck in poverty.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said Nigeria’s engagement at the summit was driven by a clear push for a fairer global economic system that gives countries room to grow without structural barriers.

He said Nigeria’s position reflects its focus on justice, transparency and shared prosperity in the way global decisions are made.

Representing President Bola Tinubu at the Third Session of the 2025 G20

Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria approached the talks with a strong commitment to equity, value creation and dignity for African people.

President Tinubu, in his message to the summit, urged world leaders to make debt sustainability and responsible mineral governance a top priority, arguing that no global economy can be truly inclusive if nations remain trapped in debt or if mineral extraction repeats old patterns of exploitation.

He warned that sustainable development will remain out of reach if countries continue to face crushing repayment cycles or if critical minerals are taken without real value returning to the communities that own them.

The Nigerian delegation stressed that Africa must stop being treated as a source of raw materials and instead be recognised as a region ready for value addition, industrial growth and innovation, which they said are key to breaking long-standing structural limits.

Speaking on the summit’s theme “A fair and just future for all: critical minerals, decent work, artificial intelligence,” Vice President Shettima outlined Nigeria’s ongoing investments in technology, skills building and youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said global transitions will only be fair when people remain at the centre of decisions, adding that decent work provides the stability needed for inclusive growth.

Tuggar added that Nigeria urged G20 leaders to support a fair global framework for extracting and trading critical minerals so that African communities benefit from industries built around their land, noting Tinubu’s message that these resources should drive Africa’s industrial development rather than repeat old inequalities.

He also congratulated President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Government of South Africa for hosting the first G20 Summit on African soil, describing it as a landmark moment that confirms Africa’s rightful place in global decision making.