Ghana’s Labour Minister Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo has urged African mining unions to strengthen solidarity, push for industrialization, and ensure that Africa’s mineral wealth benefits its people, not just foreign markets. He made the call at the opening of the 3rd Executive Council Meeting of the African Federation of Miners and Mineral Wealth (AFMMW) in Accra, hosted by Abdul-Moomin Gbana, General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union.
Dr. Pelpuo highlighted the continent’s critical role in the global green energy transition, as it controlled over 30 percent of the world’s cobalt, lithium, gold, and rare earths, but lamented that much of Africa remains underdeveloped and local communities see little benefit.
“Our resources have historically fueled development elsewhere, leaving our people behind,” the minister said. “Africa must industrialize, add value locally, strengthen regional cooperation, and ensure mining profits benefit our workers and communities.”
He outlined a multifaceted strategy for unions and governments to achieve this, including:
- Continental solidarity and union coordination to strengthen bargaining power with multinational corporations.
- Value addition and industrialization to transform raw mineral extraction into jobs, manufacturing, and broader economic benefits within Africa.
- Regional integration and intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to reduce dependency on foreign markets.
- Capacity building for union members, enabling workers to actively shape negotiations, secure royalties, and advocate for fair labor practices.
- Peace, security, and stability in resource-rich regions, recognizing that conflict and instability undermine development and invite external exploitation.
Citing the African Development Bank, the minister said Africa’s untapped mineral resources are valued at approximately $8.6 trillion, underscoring the scale of opportunity. He pointed to successful examples such as community agreements in Ghana that secure royalties and development projects, and regional labor coordination efforts in Southern Africa.
Delegates at the three-day meeting will focus on labor rights, industrial strategy, sustainable resource management, and continental coordination, confronting what he described as the “new global order”: foreign powers scrambling to control Africa’s resources under the guise of green energy and technological progress.
“This is a pivotal moment for Africa,” he said. “Our solidarity, our industrial vision, and our ability to capture value from our minerals will determine whether Africa benefits its people or continues to enrich foreign markets.”
The meeting, themed “Strengthening Unity and Solidarity Among the African Unions of Mines to Confront the New Global Order and Attempts to Control Natural Resources and Rare Minerals,” brings together mining union leaders from across the continent to chart a path toward resource-led development, worker empowerment, and strategic engagement with global partners.
