Ghana must align its mineral processing efforts with neighbours – Mahama

President John Mahama on Monday said Ghana’s efforts to process its mineral resources domestically would be more effective if aligned with those of neighbouring countries. He said Agenda 2063, the African Mining Vision and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provided a solid foundation for such regional cooperation. “We must translate these frameworks into coordinated investments, regional infrastructure and larger markets for African producers.

As Ghana prepares to assume the chairmanship of the African Union in 2027, we will carry the spirit of the Accra Research into this collective effort,” he said. President Mahama was speaking at the Mining in Motion Conference 2026 held in Accra, on the theme: “One Continent, One Voice of Minerals – Aligning Africa’s Mineral Future.” He said the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), established to oversee the implementation of the Africa Mining Vision, had an important role in building countries’ capacity to develop mineral processing arrangements. He urged African Union member states that had not yet ratified the AMDC statutes to do so and deposit their instruments of ratification with the African Union as soon as possible.

“We must support the AMDC with dependable funding, technical expertise and clear expectations for delivery. It can help our countries share geological knowledge, strengthen negotiating capacity, and develop regional value chains,” he added. President Mahama also observed that poor negotiations and the award of large mineral concessions to foreign interests had left African countries with only a small share of the wealth extracted from their natural resources.

He said the situation had resulted in massive financial outflows from the continent, while African countries and their communities continued to grapple with poverty and hardship. “This legacy of the colonial era accounted for much of the poverty and suffering experienced across the continent,” he added. President John Dramani Mahama has urged African countries to process their critical minerals locally and stop exporting raw materials.

He said this would ensure value addition and create local jobs for their people. President Mahama, who is also the Champion for African Union Financial Institutions, appealed in his address at the opening of the Second Edition of the Mining in Motion Summit on the theme “One Continent. President Mahama said Ghana was pursuing a phased prohibition on exports of unprocessed ores, supported by the necessary legal measures, mineral-specific requirements and transparent implementation timetables.

“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 mineral ores should no longer leave our shores,” President Mahama said. “Our alumina, manganese, iron, lithium and other minerals must support processing and industrial development here at home.” President Mahama said Ghana had laid the foundation for this work.