Africa: Guterres calls for an end to the 'pillaging' of the continent
Speaking at the Global Africa Business Initiative event 'Unstoppable Africa 2026' in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Africa's critical minerals should create local value and decent jobs rather than be exported. He cited figures that Africa holds 30% of global mineral resources and 60% of solar potential, and called for reforming the international financial architecture and giving Africa permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
Why it matters: This matters for the critical minerals theme because it shows the UN pushing to shift African resource wealth from raw export toward local value capture.