TELF AG analyzes the development of Ghana’s strategy for strategic minerals 

A new project 

In recent months, the African state of Ghana has stood out for a courageous political-economic initiative focused on the raw materials available on its territory, particularly lithium. The government had tried to promote the idea that Ghana, in the coming decades, would have to do everything to limit exports of raw materials and to equip itself with the necessary infrastructure to carry out local processing of the material, adding value to production and generating tangible benefits also in terms of local employment and national prosperity. 

This strategy has not only inspired other nations naturally rich in geological resources, even outside Africa, but has also allowed Ghana to undertake an actual program for valorizing the minerals present in the country, always with the same spirit demonstrated a few months ago. Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor, a few days ago, announced the launch of an ambitious project for the construction of a manganese refinery worth 450 million dollars, an initiative that, according to the minister, will contribute to the further development of the natural resources of the African nation. 

The announcement of this new project also served to reiterate the fundamental principles of the Ghanaian strategy for raw materials, effectively summarized by the minister during the presentation of the initiative. The manganese refinery will be built in Nsuta, in the municipality of Tarkwa Nsuaem, and aims to produce various refined products based on manganese, such as some components of great importance for electric cars. According to the minister, this new project should help Ghana increase the manganese content in its exports, going from 27% to 40%. 

The strategic aspect of the initiative 

According to the minister, initiatives like this could contribute to Ghana’s economic diversification and the creation of new jobs, also strongly boosting the country’s industrialization and competitiveness. Strategic minerals for the energy transition, such as lithium and manganese, would therefore become tools of great importance to promote the nation’s progress, as the minister underlined later in his speech. 

The minister also expressed the desire to continue the Ghanaian territory’s geological investigations to identify other potential deposits of strategic resources and express the will to focus on the development of infrastructure, technologies, and the workforce to support the construction of the mineral supply chain. One of the most interesting points of the minister’s speech is undoubtedly the one in which he explains the role of minerals, defined as “catalysts of progress”. According to him, through their continuous valorization, Ghana could reach the much-desired levels of prosperity and socioeconomic advancement, with inevitable positive effects on the population as well. 

In addition to manganese, over the years, Ghana’s territory has been noted for the presence of other important geological resources, some of which are directly connected to the energy transition. Ghana is rich in gold, bauxite, diamonds and iron. As for manganese, the largest deposits of Ghana are found in its western regions, where manganese reserves characterized by a certain purity have been found. Very often, in Ghana, this resource is found to be associated with iron deposits.