Nigeria-US Minerals Deal: ITUC-Africa Demands Jobs, Local Content

 The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has demanded that jobs and local content be central to Nigeria's critical minerals framework with the United States.

This is contained in a statement signed and issued by Mr Joel Odigie, General Secretary of ITUC-Africa, on Thursday in Abuja.

A Call for Structural Transformation, Not Commodity Substitution

Odigie said Africa's mineral resources must finance the continent's development rather than reinforce dependency, stressing the need for transparent and equitable resource governance. He warned that Nigeria could not simply replace its dependence on crude oil exports with a new dependence on lithium, rare earths, and other unprocessed mineral exports. "Changing the commodity without changing the structure of extraction would not amount to economic transformation," he said.

Framework Details Remain Limited

Odigie noted that the Nigeria-US critical minerals framework, signed in New York in September, reportedly covers exploration, mining, processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity. He said Nigeria's stated objectives under the deal include local processing, skills development, job creation, and greater participation of Nigerian businesses in the critical minerals value chain.

He cautioned, however, that public information on the framework remains limited, with details on specific projects, financing commitments, mineral volumes, and pricing yet to be disclosed. He added that information on offtake provisions, duration, governance arrangements, and enforceable domestic beneficiation obligations also remains unclear.

Odigie further clarified that the widely reported figure of $700 billion represents an estimate of Nigeria's overall mineral resources — not a $700 billion investment commitment from the United States.

Call for Domestic Resource Mobilisation

He described the matter as fundamentally one of domestic resource mobilisation, arguing that Africa cannot continue seeking development finance abroad while surrendering its revenues, industrial value, and productive capacity in the process. Odigie said Nigeria's large workforce, sizeable consumer base, and overall economic scale could sustain domestic industries and set important precedents for responsible resource governance across Africa.

Calls for Legislative Scrutiny and Transparency

He stressed that agreements involving strategic national resources require legislative scrutiny, public debate, and institutional oversight, questioning how extensively the National Assembly had considered the framework before its advancement.

The ITUC-Africa chief called for the full publication of the framework, alongside enforceable safeguards covering domestic beneficiation, local content, technology transfer, decent work, taxation, and public revenues. He also demanded safeguards for environmental protection and community benefits, stressing that mineral wealth should ultimately contribute to industrialisation, decent jobs, and shared prosperity.

Odigie said ITUC-Africa would continue advocating for transparent and equitable resource governance, guided by the African Union's Africa Mining Vision, and would sustain its push for domestic value addition and mineral revenues that support industrialisation, decent jobs, and inclusive economic development across the continent.