Ghana has unveiled a Green Minerals Roadmap aimed at transforming the country’s mining sector from a raw material export industry into an integrated industrial economy.
The roadmap was launched at the 9th Mining on Top Africa Summit in Paris, France, under the theme, “Value Beyond Extraction – Industrialisation, Value Addition & Long-Term National Benefit”.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Tandoh, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Commission, Dr Theophilus Kekeli Agbenyezi, said the initiative reflects Ghana’s commitment to retaining more value from its mineral resources.
He said government plans to phase out the export of unprocessed minerals, including gold, bauxite, manganese and lithium, by 2030.
According to him, mining companies will be required to establish domestic processing and refining facilities to strengthen resource sovereignty and ensure that more economic benefits remain within the country.
The roadmap, anchored on the Green Minerals Policy Framework, seeks to link Ghana’s mineral resources to local manufacturing and energy development.
Ghana is positioning itself as a potential hub for electric vehicle and battery production by restricting raw lithium exports and promoting midstream processing.
The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) is also advancing plans to develop infrastructure to process the country’s estimated 960 million metric tonnes of bauxite reserves, reducing dependence on imported alumina and supporting local aluminium-based industries.
The Minerals Commission is further implementing revised procurement requirements that reserve critical supply chain services for 100 per cent Ghanaian-owned businesses.
The move, according to the Commission, is expected to ensure that opportunities created within the mining value chain directly benefit local enterprises.
The roadmap also places emphasis on skills development, local participation and technology transfer.
Dr Agbenyezi said mandatory local content regulations were encouraging partnerships between mining companies and institutions such as the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) to build technical capacity, while measures to limit expatriate roles are aimed at accelerating knowledge transfer.
On environmental sustainability, the government is seeking to address the challenges associated with artisanal and small-scale mining through the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP).
The programme is expected to promote responsible mining practices, including the use of mercury-free extraction methods, while integrating informal mining activities into the formal economy.
The Minerals Commission said aligning these activities with existing financial regulations, including the Anti-Money Laundering Act, will help reduce revenue leakages and create a more sustainable mining sector.
The Green Minerals Roadmap forms part of Ghana’s broader strategy to achieve industrialisation, increase local value addition and position the country as a leader in responsible mineral governance in Africa.
