Ghana Sets 2030 Deadline to End Exports of Raw Mineral Ores

Accra, Ghana. Ghana will end the export of unprocessed mineral ores by 2030, President John Dramani Mahama told the Mining in Motion Conference in Accra on 19 October. The government plans a phased ban backed by legal measures, with requirements and timelines set for each mineral.

The minerals named are bauxite, manganese, iron, lithium and diamonds. Ghana has already banned exports of iron scrap and non-ferrous metals.

Processing at home

Mahama has argued that Africa must move from shipping raw commodities to processing them locally, keeping more value, jobs and tax revenue in the country. Speaking in New York in September, he told mining companies to begin at least primary and secondary processing in Ghana, and said the country also aims to process half of its cocoa beans locally.

Steps are already under way in gold. Since July, large-scale miners must sell 30% of their output to the Ghana Gold Board for local refining, and since September artisanal gold aggregators can no longer export unrefined doré.

What to watch

The 2030 target is not yet law. Ghana's Minerals and Mining Bill would allow export bans through separate regulations, so investors will be watching for the detailed rules, and for whether the power supply, skills and refining capacity are in place in time.

Key Points

• Raw ore export ban targeted for 2030
• Bauxite, manganese, iron, lithium and diamonds named
• Phased ban with mineral-specific timelines
• Detailed regulations still to come