PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has said African leaders will no longer allow the continent’s mineral wealth to be extracted without delivering meaningful benefits to its people, insisting that the era of foreign nations taking Africa’s resources for a song is over.
Speaking after attending the final day of the 7th African Union-European Union
Summit in Luanda on Tuesday, President Mnangagwa said the continent must take decisive steps to ensure that its natural endowments are used to drive development, industrialisation, and improved livelihoods for its citizens.
His remarks came as African and European leaders engaged on issues of trade justice, economic partnerships, and historical inequalities that have long shaped relations between the two continents.
As leaders gathered for the 7th AU-EU Summit, trade fairness and economic justice were among the central issues under discussion. African Union Commission Chairperson, His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Yousouf, also highlighted the continent’s determination to break from its traditional role as a supplier of unprocessed raw materials, calling for fair partnerships anchored on beneficiation, technology transfer, and shared prosperity.
Zimbabwe, endowed with vast mineral resources, is already prioritising beneficiation and value addition before export in line with the Second Republic’s drive to strengthen local industries and ensure greater economic returns. – ZBC
