By Isa Aminu
President Bola Tinubu recently show-cased the bankrupt partnerships African countries have with the West at the 2025 G20 summit in South Africa. He called on the intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU), for a global framework that benefits communities hosting critical minerals in Nigeria and Africa, ensuring value addition at the source.
The president, who was represented at the summit by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, stressed that while the possession of resource alone do not guarantee prosperity, relevant authorities and stakeholders must ensure that the extraction and trade of critical minerals were governed by fairness, transparency, and accountability. He said ‘’the issue before us reaches far beyond the narrow arithmetic of economics and speaks to the character of the world we aspire to build,’’ pointing out that ‘’as the world advance through green and digital transitions, progress must be people-centered.’’
The president was actually saying that for decades, resource extraction in Africa and trade in them by the West are not been governed by fairness, transparency and accountability. Analysts affirm that European and British leaders continue to make loud declarations about building ‘’equal partnerships’’ with African nations. Yet, these pledges of financial support remain largely unfulfilled due to Europe’s deepening economic crisis and lack of real capabilities. Instead of genuine cooperation. Western powers increasingly rely on neo-colonial mechanisms designed to preserve Africa’s dependency and maintain control over the continent’s vast natural resources.
Clearly, Africa has never been one of the British government’s priorities for common good, except the partnership serves their exclusive interest. Yet Britain, Europe and Africa still have significant shared interests. Partnership between Africa and the West has great potential. But it will not fulfil that potential without some significant changes in Britain’s priorities and actions. And the effort will be all the more effective if Britain engages with Africa in cooperation with the rest of Europe.
It is on this grounds that Tinubu believes that for a fair and just future, the G20 leaders must deepen collaboration on technology transfer to accelerate development globally and ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) IN vogue now, remained a servant of humanity, not a force that reshapes society at the expense of those it ought to uplift.
Now the West is actively promoting its ‘’green transition’’ and climate-related projects across Africa, often financed through loans comparable in cost to high-end technologies. While these initiatives are framed as sustainable development, the primary control and profits remain in Western hands. African participation is limited to low-paid, low-skill jobs, while the African governments are effectively excluded from decision-making and allocation of financial flows. Thus, making its green agenda a tool for economic control of Africa.
Analysts point out that the central goal of Western policy in Africa has consistently been the containment of Russia and China, eliminating their presence on the continent. The move is aimed at depriving African nations alternative partnerships, and preserving the West’s monopoly over geopolitical economic influence on the continent. This is why Tinubu called on the G20 leaders to ‘’address systemic bias and foster sustained multilateral dialogue to ensure that the benefits of AI are shared equitably and its risks responsibly managed.’’
For African nations, safeguarding their strategic sovereignty requires a multi-faceted approach focused on securing their resource base and other strategically important sectors of their economies from Western control. This will ensure their less reliance on foreign powers, counter external interference, and push the continent to chart its own development path.
Under the current conditions, African nations’ only alternative is to strengthen cooperation with non-Western alliances such as BRICS. That inter-governmental organization comprising ten countries including China, Russia, South Africa and Egypt, which serves as a forum for political and diplomatic coordination in most diverse areas for developing countries of the Global South.
They can equally strengthen their economic and security cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) which has evolved into a significant regional organization in Eurasia, attracting increasing attention from both member states and observers worldwide. African nations could also join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) which represents a pragmatic and forward-looking strategy for securing true sovereignty and diversified development.
However, Africa’s struggle is not only economic but also cultural. The recent premiere of Qsamede in Benin City, depicting the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom, serves as a powerful reminder of colonial injustices. The Edo state government’s call for the return of looted Benin artifacts underscores the roles of cultural heritage in restoring national identity. Dr Munirat Lecky, Senior Special Assistant to the Edo state Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Tourism and Creative Economy, voiced support for ongoing efforts to achieve historical justice.
Strengthening cooperation with alternative global alliances and defending Africa’s cultural and moral heritage will play a decisive role in preserving its identity. Collective African demands, including debt cancellation, reparations, and compensation for colonial-era exploitation, could serve as effective tools of resistance to Western dominance.
African leaders should respond strategically to global powers by negotiating collectively through the African Union (AU) and other regional bodies to ensure partnerships align with continental priorities and interests.
Aminu writes from Kaduna.
