News
Countdown Begins as Nigeria Hosts 2nd Africa Raw Materials Summit October 19–20
Joel Ajayi
The countdown has begun to the 2nd Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), with Nigeria set to host policymakers, investors, researchers, manufacturers, technology providers and other key stakeholders from across Africa and beyond from October 19 to 20, 2026.
The two-day summit, organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), will take place at the Abuja Continental Hotel under the theme, “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”
The summit is expected to place Nigeria at the centre of discussions on Africa’s industrial transformation, with stakeholders expected to examine how the continent can move from exporting raw materials to developing industries that process, manufacture and add value to its own resources.
The event will provide a platform for policymakers, investors, researchers, manufacturers and technology providers to explore investment opportunities, develop partnerships and advance practical strategies for converting Africa’s abundant raw materials into finished and semi-finished products within the continent.
The programme will feature High-Level Plenary Addresses and Policy Dialogues, Sub-Thematic Interactive Panels, the Pan-African Advanced Raw Materials and Technology Exhibition, Industrial Site Visits, and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.
Discussions at the summit will focus on five major pillars critical to Africa’s industrial development.
The first, Logistics and Infrastructure, will address the “Missing Middle” in logistics and infrastructure, with emphasis on improving the movement, processing and distribution of raw materials.
The second, the 30 per cent Value-Addition Mandate, will examine measures to promote domestic processing and ensure that more African raw materials are transformed into higher-value products before export.
The third pillar, Circular Economy and Waste Industrialisation, will focus on converting waste into economic opportunities through sustainable production, recycling, recovery and industrial reuse.
The fourth, AfCFTA Regional Value Chain Integration, will explore ways of strengthening regional cooperation and developing interconnected value chains across African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The fifth pillar, Technology Commercialisation and Capital Linkage, will focus on connecting innovative technologies with investors and capital providers to accelerate commercialisation, manufacturing and industrial growth.
Speaking ahead of the summit, the RMRDC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Nnanyelugo M. Ike-Muonso, said ARMS 2026 would provide an opportunity to align policy, capital, technology and political will towards ensuring that resources extracted from African soil are increasingly transformed within the continent.
According to him, Africa is at a point where it must reduce its dependence on the traditional model of exporting raw commodities and importing finished products.
He said the continent possesses enormous reserves of minerals, agricultural resources and industrial feedstock, yet much of its raw wealth continues to leave Africa with limited value added.
“Nigeria alone has over $582.4 billion in documented non-renewable natural resources, highlighting the enormous economic opportunity available through increased local processing, manufacturing and industrial development,” he said.
Ike-Muonso said the summit was designed to bring together key players across the raw materials value chain to develop practical strategies for transforming African resources into finished and semi-finished products within the continent.
He added that the proposed 30 per cent mandatory value-addition framework would be a major focus of discussions, as it seeks to encourage domestic processing of Nigerian raw materials before export.
According to the RMRDC, the initiative is projected to generate more than 1.2 million skilled jobs within five years, while supporting import substitution and strengthening Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.
The 2026 edition is expected to attract more than 1,800 delegates from 54 African countries, alongside global industrial partners and other stakeholders.
Giving an update on the Council’s preparedness, the Director of Corporate Affairs, RMRDC, Chinyere Nnamdi-Anum, said the Council was fully prepared to host the summit.
She said the gathering would bring together industrialists, researchers, investors, government representatives and other stakeholders to develop practical solutions for increasing value addition to Africa’s raw materials.
With registration officially open, the countdown to ARMS 2026 is now underway, offering Nigerian and African businesses, investors, researchers and policymakers an opportunity to participate in discussions that could shape the continent’s industrial future.
As Abuja prepares to welcome participants from across Africa and beyond, the summit is expected to strengthen the push for a new industrial model in which Africa’s resources provide the foundation for African factories, African jobs, African investments and sustainable industrial growth.
News
Cyclists, Athletes, Fitness Communities others Set for 5th Chaingang MTB Festival in Abuja
By Joel Ajayi
Cyclists, professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts are set to converge on Abuja for the 5th edition of the Abuja Chaingang Mountain Bike (MTB) Festival and 10th year anniversary of the the club scheduled for November 21–22, 2026, in the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Chairman of the MTB Festival Organising Committee, Mr Olatunji Olanrewaju, said the event would mark a significant milestone in the development of competitive cycling in Nigeria.
Organised by the Chaingang Cycling Club Abuja in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN), the festival will introduce Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) race courses, alongside the unveiling of the Sunrise Hills MTB Course in Asokoro, bordering Guzape.
The organisers said the new courses feature natural terrain, steep climbs, rocky descents, switchbacks and panoramic ridgelines designed to challenge riders and promote competitive mountain biking.
The festival, adopted as Nigeria’s national qualifier for international mountain biking competitions, will provide cyclists with opportunities to compete for qualification slots for major championships, with prize money available across race categories.
Olanrewaju disclosed that the festival had attracted several cycling teams over the years, including foreign participants in almost every edition, expressing optimism that the 2026 event would attract even greater participation.
He called on sponsors, government agencies, security institutions and multinational organisations to support the festival, noting that their participation would help strengthen Nigeria’s outdoor sports industry and enhance the country’s international sporting profile.
Also speaking, the Technical Director of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria, Bashiru Mohammed, described the festival as an important platform for developing cycling and strengthening the country’s cycling community.
Mohammed said the competition was open to cyclists and cycling groups across Nigeria and beyond, adding that the organisers would share information about the event with international partners to encourage wider participation.
He explained that the professional races would feature male and female competitors in the XCC and XCO categories, while the programme would also include activities for children.
According to him, the competition would help Nigerian cyclists prepare for next year’s championship for emerging countries, which he likened to an Olympic-style gathering of athletes from different sporting disciplines.
In his remarked, the CFN Secretary-General of the federation, Joel Akinuwa, said prize money remained an important feature of the festival, noting that participants in the previous edition received financial rewards in addition to opportunities to qualify for the African Championships and other major international competitions.
Akinuwa added that winners across the various categories in the 2026 edition would also receive prize money, providing further motivation for cyclists to compete.
Beyond the elite races, the two-day festival will feature a trail run, children’s mountain bike race, veterans’ recreational ride, city-wide fitness ride and hiking campout.
The event will also incorporate corporate social responsibility initiatives, including the Jigakushi School Restoration Project and the Road Safety Street Mural Initiative, aimed at promoting community development and road safety awareness.
The organisers said the festival would bring together professional athletes, recreational cyclists, families, young people, fitness enthusiasts, media organisations and international observers, while promoting tourism, youth development and community engagement.
They added that the long-term vision was to position Abuja and Nigeria as leading mountain biking destinations in Africa, capable of hosting international competitions and attracting athletes from across the continent and beyond.
Registration for the 2026 Abuja Chaingang MTB Festival is ongoing through the club’s website, www.chaingang.ng.
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