By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has been re-elected as the Chairman of Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG).

Mr Alake was first unanimously elected as the pioneer Chairman of AMSG in 2024 on the sidelines of Future Minerals Forum (FMF).

He was re-elected at the 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the group, held on the sidelines of the same conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The continental ministerial forum of African ministers is responsible for minerals and mining, committed to coordinated action aimed at maximising value addition and beneficiation from Africa’s vast mineral resources.

A statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Segun Tomori, noted that the move is part of efforts to strengthen its institutional framework.

AMSG approved the creation of additional leadership positions, including Vice Chairman, Deputy Secretary-General, and Financial Secretary.

The forum further resolved that those positions be equitably distributed across Africa’s sub-regions to promote inclusion and regional balance.

While the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman are elective and reserved for serving ministers, other positions are appointed by member states to which they are zoned.

Under the new leadership structure, Mr Alake continued as Chairman of the 24-member forum, representing West Africa.

The Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mr Louis Watum Kabamba, was elected Vice Chairman, representing Central Africa.

The position of Secretary-General remained with Uganda (East Africa), Mauritania was appointed Deputy Secretary-General (North Africa), while South Africa was assigned the position of Financial Secretary.

The AGM also ratified a two-year tenure for the newly elected executive committee and agreed that zoned positions belong to member countries, such that where a serving minister is replaced, the successor automatically assumes the role.

In his acceptance speech, Alake expressed gratitude to his colleagues for the renewed confidence reposed in him, stressing the urgent need for African nations to work collaboratively to unlock the continent’s economic potential through solid minerals development.

He called on member states to agree on minimum financial contributions and to refine the group’s budgeting framework to strengthen its operational effectiveness.

“Once member states contribute, accountability will naturally follow. This will enhance transparency and strengthen the credibility of the AMSG before the global community,” Mr Alake stated.

The AGM further resolved to hold quarterly ministerial meetings and ratified the establishment of standing committees, including those for Legal, Institutional Affairs and Human Resources; Sustainability and Responsible Mining; Finance, Budget and Resource Mobilisation, among others.

It was also agreed that steps be taken towards hosting a global minerals conference in Africa, similar to FMF.

Speaking earlier at a Leadership Roundtable, Mr Alake emphasised that mineral production alone could not deliver lasting economic transformation without reliable infrastructure, coordinated policies, and deliberate value-addition strategies.

Mr Alake cited the Lobito Corridor as a model of what was achievable when rail, ports, energy systems, and policy alignment worked in synergy. He stated that similar opportunities existed across the continent, including the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor linking Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire; Walvis Bay Corridor connecting Southern Africa’s mining regions to global markets; Dar es Salaam and Central Corridors serving East and Central Africa, among others.

“The real question is not whether Africa has corridors, but whether these corridors are being financed, governed and structured to support industrial growth, regional integration and long-term stability.

“What matters is how financing is designed to reduce risk, attract private capital, and sustain commercial viability while advancing national and regional development objectives,” he said.

Mr Alake emphasised that unlocking capital required addressing issues, such as bankable and enforceable offtake arrangements; predictable and harmonised cross-border regulatory frameworks; alignment of rail, port, power, and industrial planning; and clear pathways for processing, smelting, logistics services, and industrial clusters along the corridors.

He added that the broader vision of AMSG was to ensure that Africa’s mineral infrastructure was strategically designed, responsibly financed, and efficiently managed in a rapidly evolving global environment, not to discourage investment, but to ensure it aligned with long-term stability, transparency, and shared economic prosperity.

By Adedapo Adesanya

MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a change in its leadership, with Ms Kemi Omotosho emerging as the new chief executive, taking over from Mr John Ugbe, who is set to retire.

The company said the transition, effective this month, follows a structured succession process designed to ensure continuity in leadership and operations.

Mr Ugbe is stepping down after nearly 15 years in the role, a period during which MultiChoice Nigeria navigated shifts in consumer behaviour, technology and regulation within the pay-TV and broader media industry.

Last year, French group Canal+ took over the operations of the South-African broadcasting group and effected some changes management- and content-wise across key markets.

During his tenure, Mr Ugbe oversaw efforts to strengthen the company’s operational framework and position the business to respond to changing market conditions. MultiChoice described his exit as a planned retirement rather than a sudden departure.

Ms Omotosho joins the role with more than two decades of leadership experience spanning media, telecommunications and digital services across Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African markets.

Within the MultiChoice Group, she has previously served as Executive Head of Customer Value Management in Nigeria and later as Group Executive Head of Customer Value Management for Rest of Africa, a role that involved oversight across more than 50 markets.

She most recently held the position of Regional Director for Southern Africa, where she had full profit and loss responsibility for operations covering seven countries. In her new role, Ms Omotosho will be responsible for overseeing MultiChoice Nigeria’s strategy, day-to-day operations and engagement with regulators, partners and other stakeholders.

Speaking on her appointment, Ms Omotosho said, “It is a privilege to be entrusted with the leadership of MultiChoice Nigeria at this important moment.

“Nigeria remains one of the Group’s most strategic and dynamic markets. I look forward to working with our teams and partners to deepen our relationship with consumers, champion local storytelling and the creative economy as well build a future-ready organisation that delivers sustainable value.”

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The board of Presco Plc has appointed Mr Adewale Arikawe as a non-executive director, replacing Mr Felix Nwabuko, retired from the position.

A statement from the organisation disclosed that the appointment of Arikawa took effect from Friday, January 2, 2026, until the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Also, he is now the chief executive of all SIAT subsidiaries, including Presco Plc, SIAT Nigeria Limited, and Ghana Oil Palm Development Company Limited.

In this capacity, Mr Arikawe will work alongside the existing leadership teams to strengthen execution, accelerate strategic growth, and foster a high-performance culture across the Group.

He is committed to empowering teams, enhancing leadership capability, and creating an enabling environment for continuous improvement and sustainable results.

Mr Arikawe brings over 26 years of leadership experience spanning across general management, commercial strategy, sales, customer development, and brand management. He has held senior leadership roles at Royal FrieslandCampina, overseeing operations across Sub-Saharan Africa, and at FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria.

His career also includes senior leadership positions at Nestlé Nigeria Plc, where he managed multi-channel sales operations and contributed to key strategic growth initiatives.

He holds an MBA in Business Administration and Management from the University of Chichester and has completed executive education programmes at London Business School and IMD (International Institute for Management Development), Lausanne, Switzerland, with a focus on leadership, execution excellence, and business impact.

The board, in the statement, welcomed Mr Arikawe with open arms, looking “forward to his valuable contributions to the company and the wider SIAT Group.”