Keypoints:
- AU seeks role in global minerals value chain
- Push for permanent African seats at UN Security Council
- Call for Europe-backed financial reform
AFRICA’S leaders have placed the continent’s vast critical minerals at the centre of a renewed push for global representation, using the 7th African Union–European Union Summit in Luanda to demand a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council and sweeping financial reforms.
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told delegates that Africa could no longer remain a raw-materials supplier in a world where global economic and political rules are shifting rapidly. Speaking on Monday, he argued that the continent’s mineral wealth must anchor Africa’s role in a new global value chain — and in the institutions that govern it.
Youssouf’s comments came as Africa and Europe met in Angola’s capital to discuss security, trade, and political cooperation.
AU warns of ‘uncertain’ global order
Youssouf said the international system was being reshaped by conflicts, terrorism, and what he called the ‘devitalisation of international law’. These pressures, he said, had left many multilateral systems unable to respond impartially or effectively.
He argued that Africa must secure a place in global decision-making at a time when the World Trade Organisation’s rules are ‘torn’ and the UN Security Council remains paralysed by political rivalries among its most powerful members.
‘Africa continues to request its seat at this table,’ he said, reaffirming the AU’s position that permanent representation should be based on the Ezulwini Consensus. He also pushed for equitable representation across international financial institutions, where African states remain under-represented despite being among the most affected by global shocks.
Call for European investment in mineral processing
Youssouf insisted Africa’s future role in global trade must be radically different, declaring that its days as a mere exporter of unprocessed resources ‘will come to an end soon’.
He urged European partners to invest directly in Africa’s mineral-processing capacity and to drop tariffs and other trade barriers that restrict access for African goods. ‘I’m pleading for European investments in the transformation process of our minerals on the continent,’ he said.
The AU chief added that Europe had an essential role in helping the continent unlock affordable finance and reduce the high cost of capital facing African governments.
UN chief backs broader reform
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the summit that the world was entering a volatile multipolar era, one that risked splitting into rival blocs without strong global institutions. He argued that Africa–Europe cooperation could form a stabilising ‘axis’ capable of correcting historic injustices in global governance.
Guterres said the 2024 Pact for the Future recognised the need for permanent African seats on the Security Council to strengthen the UN’s ability to uphold peace. He again urged predictable and sustainable funding for AU-led peace operations.
EU stresses shared interest in critical sectors
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the strain caused by global overcapacity in key industries, calling for closer Africa–Europe coordination to diversify economies, create jobs, and strengthen supply chains.
She said Europe was already backing African efforts to expand value-addition in minerals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and renewable energy. But she warned that Africa still received just 2 percent of global clean-energy investment in 2024, despite holding most of the world’s solar potential.
Von der Leyen said Europe’s commitments — from infrastructure investments to clean-cooking finance — reflected a belief that a ‘just transition must be for all, and it must be made in Africa’.
