Four new mines are expected to come on stream in the next two and half years, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has said in a major boost to efforts at making the country a mining hub on the continent.
Ghana is currently Africa’s leading gold producer and sixth in the world, and is looking to add the Ahafo North Mine, to be operated by Newmont Africa; Cardinal Resources Mine at Talinsi in the Upper East Region; and Azumah Resources in the Nadowli-Kaleo district of the Upper West Region. All are gold mines.
The minister had earlier disclosed that the country exported gold worth US$ 6.6 billion in 2022 – up from US$ 5.08 billion in 2021 but lower than the US$ 6.77 billion recorded in the previous year.
The new mines, when operationalized, will further cement Ghana’s position as a leading producer of the precious yellow metal and boost state earnings from mining in the face of recent downturns in economic activity.
On the lithium mine, Mr. Jinapor said the government is putting in place a different structure for the exploitation of the ‘green mineral’ to ensure the state makes the most out of it. He said the plan is drawn from lessons learned in the decades of gold mining and is meant to ensure that the same mistakes of raw material exports are not repeated.