National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has called on African countries to prioritise industrialisation by processing their natural resources locally instead of relying on the export of raw materials.

Speaking at the Third Meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Movement for the Freedom of Nations in Russia on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, Mr Asiedu Nketia said Africa’s abundant critical mineral resources should serve as a foundation for technological advancement, innovation and sustainable economic growth.

He warned that the continent must not continue a pattern in which it exports strategic resources while other nations reap the greatest economic benefits through value addition.

“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 said.

According to the NDC Chairman, the rising global demand for critical minerals presents Africa with a rare opportunity to reshape its economic future by investing in local industries and manufacturing.

He argued that the continent must move beyond being a source of raw materials and instead build the industrial capacity needed to convert its natural resources into home-grown technology, knowledge and value.

“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 stated.

Mr Asiedu Nketia said the key issue facing Africa was not the world’s growing interest in its resources, but whether African countries would position themselves as equal participants in the global economy or continue to play the role of suppliers 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 said.

He further stressed that political independence alone is not enough to guarantee development, insisting that African nations must strengthen their industrial base and economic institutions to achieve lasting prosperity.

According to him, the continent’s next major task is to ensure that its political sovereignty is matched by economic strength, enabling its natural wealth to translate into improved living standards and shared prosperity for its people.