Chale, make we gist small about wetin con dey happen for Africa. Abdul Samad Rabiu, wey be the oga at the top for BUA Group, don drop serious talk wey go fit change the game for Africa.
For one big forum wey dem call Mining Indaba 2026, wey plenty African leaders and business people gather, Rabiu don yan say time don reach for Africa to move from just dey export raw materials to better industrial processing and value addition. Na big talk, my people!
He dey reason am say African countries, financiers, and private sector need to come together make we fit industrialise the continent well well. E even give shout-out to Africa Finance Corporation wey dey help mobilise long-term capital for industrial projects. Rabiu don see the importance of strong development finance institutions for Africa growth. You see am?
From wetin BUA Group don experience, dem don fit turn Nigeria from cement importation to local production, despite all di wahala wey come with am. “At di time, Nigeria dey spend plenty money to import cement, even though limestone dey everywhere for our land,” he talk. “We beef no dey enough to stop di importation and start to produce locally.”
Today, BUA dey mine about forty thousand tonnes of limestone every day, plus dey produce one million tonnes of cement every month. Na wah! Dem don turn Nigeria from cement importer to one of di countries wey dey export am. E don save di country plenty foreign exchange wey fit help manifold!
Rabiu also talk say, no be say Africa no get resources, but di real wahala na say we dey export plenty of our minerals and agricultural produce in raw form. Na wetin make me vex! For gold, cobalt, copper, iron ore, diamonds, and cocoa, Africa dey carry plenty raw material go abroad, but we dey chop small value back. Wetin dey happen?
He talk say Africa dey lack processing capacity, industrial scale, and discipline. E dey vex me! For agriculture matter, we dey import food while we get plenty arable land for our side. Something no dey right for bisnes strategy!
Rabiu don call for coordinated actions from governments, DFIs, and the private sector, make dem work together to scale long-term financing wey go fit push local processing and invest for better infrastructure. “Industrialisation no be by accident,” he talk. “Countries wey industrialise do am by design, not by luck. We go follow dem get that sense!”
He don end am for one strong note say Africa’s chance lie for how we fit align private businesses, patient capital, and government support to shift from extraction to transformation. If we no carry everybody along, e go hard to see that shared prosperity wey we dey find.
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