Ghana’s President John Mahama officially opened the Mining in Motion 2025 summit in Accra, calling for greater investment across the downstream value chain. Citing the need to reimagine mining in Africa, President Mahama underscored the value of the downstream mining industry in building resilient and diversified economies across the continent. 

Rich in a variety of mineral resources, Africa is well-positioned to leverage its mining industry and the growing global demand for critical minerals to drive long-term and sustainable economic growth. According to President Mahama, the continent “is rich in gold, bauxite, lithium, cobalt and other rare earth minerals. Our continent holds 90% of global platinum reserves, 79% of phosphate rocks and over half of the world’s manganese. Mining contributes substantially to our GDP and employment; but it has not transformed the lives of our citizens as it should.”

As such, Ghana is implementing a series of initiatives to strengthen the downstream value chain, aiming to bolster employment opportunities, formalize small-scale mining and support revenue generation.

“We will be investing in the downstream value chain. We must integrate mining into the broader economic framework – that is how we build resilient and diversified economies. We believe there should be increased participation by Ghanians in exploiting our mineral wealth. We welcome investors to partner with us,” President Mahama added.

Insights from industry leaders affirmed the role Ghana’s mining industry continues to play in the country’s economy. Delivering a welcome address, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Asante Kingdom, highlighted the role of traditional authorities in empowering artisanal and small-scale miners to ensure the sector enhances its contribution to industry growth.

“Gold, diamonds and critical minerals represent the best option for sustainable growth for Africa. They are the economic health of economies,” stated King Tutu II, adding that “We have an opportunity to use policies to address industry problems. The Gold Board presents an opportunity for new investments to come in.”

Ghana’s mining industry accounts for approximately 12% of the country’s GDP. The industry also accounts for the highest employment in the country. Looking ahead, Ghana seeks to consolidate its position as a regional mining hub, utilizing platforms such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to accelerate regional trade and exports. Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA, spoke about best practices to enhance regional gold trading and cooperation to bolster mining sector expansion.

According to Mene, to address mining sector challenges, it is imperative to enhance digitalization to reduce transaction costs and enhance traceability and financial inclusion. He added that the Mining in Motion 2025 summit is timely, given the African Union adoption of its Digital Protocol in February. The protocol aims to use digitalization mechanisms such as gold tokenization to drive sustainability, poverty eradication and to create jobs.

“There are challenges to economic growth such as nationalization of resources and trade wars. Africa must respond to these challenges. AfCFTA provides an opportunity to create a [regional] market and achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063 of economic integration,” stated Mene.

Organized by the Ashanti Green Initiative – led by Oheneba Kwaku Duah, Prince of Ghana’s Ashanti Kingdom – in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, World Bank, and the World Gold Council, with the support of Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the summit offers unparalleled opportunities to connect with industry leaders.