Ghana will not back down on mining value addition – Ambassador Kojo Bonsu

Ghana will continue to pursue policies aimed at adding value to its mineral resources rather than exporting raw materials, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Kojo Bonsu, has said. He said the government was committed to working with investors who were prepared to align with its policy direction on local beneficiation and the development of processing capacity in the mining sector. “The government’s policy is now firmly oriented towards local beneficiation, such as refining bauxite to alumina integration or the development of detailed processing capacity,” he said. Ambassador Bonsu was addressing the investor community at this year’s China Mining Conference in Tianjin, China, on Friday, September 11, 2026.

Ghana seeks greater value from mineral resources He said Ghana had made a deliberate decision to move away from the export of raw minerals and instead develop the capacity to process them locally. “Ghana has made a clear and deliberate choice that we will no longer be content to export raw ore and import back finished products at higher prices. It is not good,” he said. He said the government was therefore working to establish the necessary frameworks, infrastructure and incentives to support greater value addition and create jobs and skills locally. “We are building frameworks, infrastructure, and the incentives to give more value, more skills and more jobs,” he said. According to Ambassador Bonsu, the government’s approach seeks to position mining as a more integral part of Ghana’s broader economic development rather than treating it solely as an extractive activity. He described China as an important partner for Ghana in infrastructure, trade and the development of the mining and minerals value chain. “China has been and remains Ghana’s significant partner on…