Bala Wunti to FG: Don’t Export Our 44 Minerals Raw, Use Them to Create Wealth, Jobs
Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Chief Executive Officer of the World Energy Council Nigeria, Mr. Bala Wunti, has urged the federal government to ensure that Nigeria’s 44 critical minerals are
Mr. Bala Wunti, CEO of the World Energy Council Nigeria, has called on the federal government to develop Nigeria's 44 critical minerals domestically into factories, jobs, and industrial prosperity instead of merely exporting them raw. Speaking at the 2026 Concordia Annual Summit in New York on September 21 alongside the United Nations General Assembly, Wunti warned against repeating the costly mistake the country made with crude oil exports.
He emphasized that the country must not repeat the costly mistake it made with crude oil exports. Wunti, a panelist on the session "Rare Currency: Critical Minerals in a Shifting Global Economy," stressed that Africa must shift from being a mere source of raw materials to becoming a competitive processing and manufacturing partner in the global economy.
He warned that exporting raw minerals amounts to colonial economics and that the urgency and speed of action are now essential.
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