By Melissa Sackey
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to end the export of raw mineral ores from Ghana by 2030, as the country seeks to expand local processing and retain more value from its mineral resources. President Mahama made these remarks at the Mining in Motion 2026 Summit, held under the theme, “One Continent, One Voice of Minerals — Aligning Africa’s Mineral Future.”
The President said the global economy is looking to Africa to power the next mineral revolution, making it necessary for African countries to take greater ownership of their mineral resources and build capacity to process them locally. He added that, Ghana is advancing manganese processing and pursuing a broader shift towards local value addition to ensure that more of the benefits from mineral extraction remained within the domestic economy.
He explained that the government’s reset agenda is intended to give Ghanaians greater ownership of the country’s natural resources, adding that Ghana is laying a foundation that can help shape Africa’s mineral future.
On environmental concerns, President Mahama highlighted the damage caused by illegal mining, citing the destruction of approximately 12,000 hectares of land. He said “more than GH¢200 million had been allocated to reclaim 5,000 hectares of degraded land”.
The reclamation initiative is expected to contribute to efforts to restore land affected by illegal mining, although details on the implementation and timelines were not spelt out in the address.
“Ghana would use its anticipated role in chairing the African Union (AU) to advance the Accra Reset Agenda and give it practical meaning across the continent”. The President stated.
The conference brought together diplomats and other stakeholders to discuss Africa’s mineral future and the need for a coordinated approach to resource governance, local processing and sustainable development.
