‘Publish Details of $700 Billion U.S. Minerals ‘Deal’—ITUC Asks Tinubu Administration, Warns Against Continued Resource Exploitation
LOMÉ, TOGO—The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has raised serious concerns over the recently signed Nigeria-US critical minerals framework, warning that Africa must stop surrendering its resource wealth through opaque international agreements.
In a statement issued from its headquarters in Lomé, ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie stressed that Africa’s natural resources must finance the continent’s own development rather than reinforcing historical cycles of economic dependency.
The agreement, signed in New York in September 2026, reportedly spans mineral exploration, mining, processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity-building.
While Nigeria’s stated objectives focus on local processing, skill acquisition, job creation, and boosting domestic business participation, ITUC-Africa pointed out that critical details of the deal remain shrouded in secrecy.
The Illusion of a $700 Billion US Investment
A central point of contention raised by the pan-African labour center is the widespread public misinterpretation of the deal’s financial scope.
ITUC-Africa clarified that the widely circulated figure of US$700 billion is an estimated valuation of Nigeria’s total mineral resource potential, not a financial investment commitment by the United States government.
“Public information on the deal is scanty,” Odigie stated, noting a complete lack of transparency regarding specific projects, financing commitments, mineral volumes, pricing, offtake provisions, duration, governance, or enforceable domestic beneficiation obligations.
Breaking the ‘Resource Curse’
The labour organization warned Nigerian authorities against repeating past economic mistakes, emphasizing that substituting crude oil dependency with the export of raw lithium and rare earth elements does not constitute progress.
“Changing the commodity without changing the structure of extraction is not economic transformation,” the statement read. “Africa cannot keep seeking development finance abroad while surrendering the revenues, industrial value, and productive capacity embedded in its resources.”
As Africa’s most populous nation and one of its largest economies, Nigeria possesses a versatile workforce and an extensive consumer base capable of sustaining robust domestic industries.
ITUC-Africa noted that Nigeria’s resource choices carry immense weight and could set major precedents across the entire continent.
Calls for Legislative Scrutiny and Public Disclosure
Highlighting constitutional protocols, ITUC-Africa questioned the legality and oversight of the current framework. Under Nigeria’s Constitution, treaties and international agreements require enactment by the National Assembly to hold the domestic force of law.
The organization is demanding to know what prior discussion and scrutiny took place within the National Assembly and the Senate before the executive advanced the framework.
ITUC-Africa is calling for immediate publication of the full Nigeria-US framework text and enforceable safeguards on domestic beneficiation and strict local content execution.
The organisation is also demanding guarantees on technology transfer, decent work conditions, and fair taxation to protect public revenues as well as robust protections for the environment and host communities.
Reaffirming its alignment with the African Union’s Africa Mining Vision (AMV), ITUC-Africa pledged to sustain its advocacy for resource governance that yields real revenues, structural industrialization, and shared prosperity. The body also praised African nations actively driving value-addition to their mineral wealth while resisting internal sabotage and external manipulation.
