Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has called for deliberate efforts by African leaders to ensure sustainable development and management of mineral resources.

Hichilema made the call in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Minding Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Aggressive investment into exploration will unlock the undiscovered mineral resources and create enormous socio-economic impact that will not only lift many of our people out of poverty but create new wealth and prosperity," he said.

"Together we'll change the narrative that Africa is only a source of raw materials and establish our nations as leading players in the era of EV and other green innovations."

The Zambian President noted that harnessing Africa's endowments was key to realizing the continent's potential in the artisanal and small-scale mining sub-sector, and ultimately Agenda 2063.

He said to this effect, Zambia has started reforming its mining sector in order for the country to maximize its potential for economic development.

"We're tired of talking about Africa's potential. We want to realize that potential to alleviate poverty among our people," he said.

"Personally, I'm embarrassed that we have so much poverty on the Continent amid so much wealth in natural resources. This is a contradiction that we, working together, must resolve."