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Ghana eyes mineral export ban to boost domestic processing

Oct 21, 2026, 8:42am EDT
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Employees work at Damang gold mine near the town of Abosso, Ghana, Jan. 26, 2026
Philip Mostert/Reuters

Ghana plans to ban exports of raw mineral ores by 2030 to boost domestic processing, its president said, reinforcing a broader push by Africa’s resource-rich countries to capture more value from their minerals.

“Investors must understand the processing obligations associated with access to our resources,” President John Dramani Mahama said at a mining conference in Accra. The country is Africa’s largest gold producer and also mines manganese, bauxite, and diamonds.

The global race for minerals used in clean energy and advanced technologies has intensified competition between China, the US, and Europe for African supplies. Ghana’s proposed restrictions would put it alongside countries such as DR Congo, which restricts exports of copper and cobalt concentrates.

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