Ghana's President John Mahama has set a target to halt all exports of unprocessed minerals by the end of the decade, as the West African nation seeks to capture more economic value from its natural resources, African Business has reported.
“I’ve set a clear goal that by 2030, raw minerals should no longer leave our shores,” he told at a mining conference in Accra on 19 October.
“Our bauxite, manganese, iron, lithium and other minerals must support processing and industrial development here at home.”
The announcement comes as Africa positions itself as a strategically vital market for critical minerals, holding an estimated 30% of global reserves.
The continent accounts for more than 75% of global manganese production, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and the green energy transition.
Ghana is Africa's largest gold exporter and a major producer of manganese and bauxite.
It joins a growing list of African nations implementing export restrictions on raw minerals, including Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Namibia.
Despite the continent's resource wealth, many countries have struggled to capture the full economic value, often exporting raw materials for processing overseas.
Earlier this year, Hanan Morsy, deputy executive secretary and chief economist of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, said that the continent captures less than 5% of the associated value added from critical minerals.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
