President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana will formally halt the export of unprocessed mineral resources by 2030, marking a decisive shift towards resource-driven industrialisation, local value addition, and national economic sovereignty.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 2nd Edition of the Mining in Motion Summit in Accra, President Mahama outlined a phased implementation roadmap to ensure the nation’s mineral wealth directly catalyses domestic manufacturing, infrastructure expansion, and job creation.
“We have already imposed a ban on the export of iron scrap and non-ferrous metals. I have set a clear goal that by 2030 raw minerals must no longer leave our shores,” President Mahama declared. “Our bauxites, manganese, iron, lithium, and other minerals must support processes and industrial development here at home.”
President Mahama said the transition is anchored by transparent regulatory timetables, targeted legislation, and clear commodity-specific benchmarks.
He reaffirmed that government policy will pivot from merely extracting raw materials to building complete industrial value chains. Highlighting the integrated aluminium industry as a flagship priority, he stated:
“Every major initiative must have clear responsibilities, measurable milestones, and transparent reporting. In Ghana’s aluminium industry, our objective is to modernise VALCO and develop domestic aluminium refining, directly linking Ghanaian bauxite to smelting and downstream manufactured products.”
Reassuring the international and domestic investor community, President Mahama said local processing obligations will be matched by state commitments to provide competitive operating conditions. The Government is committed to deploying critical infrastructure, fostering technical skill acquisition, and establishing viable financing frameworks.
He observed that legislative action alone cannot build a sustainable sector without a predictable, transparent, and supportive operating environment.
“We must translate these frameworks into coordinated investments, regional infrastructure, and larger markets for African producers. Investors need predictable rules, clear institutional responsibilities, and prompt approvals. Communities need confidence that licence conditions and environmental obligations will be rigorously enforced,” he noted.
On the continental front, President Mahama rallied African leaders to operationalise the African Mining Vision (AMV) by aligning domestic laws and ratifying instruments establishing the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) to harmonise mineral governance across borders.
Domestically, the President noted that the industrialisation drive must advance broad-based Ghanaian participation. He urged that local enterprises must be empowered beyond auxiliary services to hold substantial equity, managerial control, and technological capabilities across the value chain—including fabrication, laboratory analytics, software engineering, and equipment maintenance.
The Summit, themed “One Continent. One Voice on Minerals. Aligning Africa’s Mineral Future,” convened policymakers, industry executives, and continental leaders to deliberate on the sustainable governance of Africa’s critical mineral endowments.
It brought together several regional dignitaries and traditional leaders, including the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Sr.
Presidency
