President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has once again called for an end to Africa’s long-standing reliance on raw material exports—a practice he says perpetuates poverty across the continent.
In a statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Adesina emphasized the urgent need for Africa to embrace industrialization and value-added production.
“Africa must end the exports of its raw materials. The export of raw materials is the door to poverty. The export of value-added products is the highway to wealth. And Africa is tired of being poor,” he wrote.
Dr. Adesina, who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, highlighted how the export of unprocessed commodities benefits foreign economies more than African nations. By failing to process its own raw materials, the continent misses critical opportunities to create jobs, boost local industries, and generate sustainable wealth.
“Africa’s current economic model, where we ship out raw materials and import finished goods at higher prices, is unsustainable,” Adesina has consistently argued. “We must process what we produce and move up the value chain.”
His remarks come at a pivotal time, as African nations push for economic diversification, increased intra-African trade, and deeper implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Experts agree that Africa’s reliance on exporting raw resources like cocoa, which is predominantly grown in West Africa but processed into chocolate abroad, highlights the continent’s missed value-creation opportunities.
Analysts say Adesina’s message reflects a broader continental urgency to reduce dependency on external markets and build robust domestic manufacturing sectors.
With AfCFTA unlocking new pathways for industrial growth and regional cooperation, Adesina’s call resonates as a timely blueprint for transforming Africa’s economic future.
“Africa is not poor,” he stated previously. “It is rich in resources—but it must also become rich in value.”
