Local Content Summit: President Pushes for Ghanaian Ownership in Mining.
President John Dramani Mahama has issued a bold challenge to Ghana’s mining industry, declaring that the era of exporting raw minerals while importing finished products must come to an end.
Speaking at the maiden Mining Local Content Summit in Takoradi on Wednesday, 18th February, 2026, the President said although Ghana remains Africa’s leading gold producer and one of the top six globally, too much of the high-value activity in the extractive chain still happens outside the country.
“We have been prolific producers, but not full participants,” he noted, urging stakeholders to ensure that 100 years from now, Ghana’s mineral wealth will be remembered not just in export figures, but in thriving local industries and empowered communities.
Drawing lessons from countries such as Botswana, Chile and Indonesia, President Mahama stressed that smart, enforceable and forward-looking local content policies do not scare away investors but rather create sustainable competitiveness.
He outlined strategic pillars to transform the sector, including shifting from transactional procurement to transformational partnerships, eliminating raw ore exports within five years, and establishing refineries and mineral-based industrial clusters. “Our mineral wealth must power Ghana’s industrialisation, not merely sustain export dependence,” he declared.
The President also announced plans to strengthen institutions such as the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and technical universities to equip Ghanaians with skills in automation, robotics, drone technology, data analytics and renewable energy integration. He revealed that government would explore the creation of a national mining innovation and research hub to position Ghana as a centre for AI-assisted exploration and technology-driven mining solutions.
Indigenous participation, he added, would be deepened, pointing to the Black Volta Gold Project by Engineers and Planners Limited as a shining example of Ghanaian ownership at scale.
On responsible mining, President Mahama pledged intensified efforts to combat illegal mining and reclaim degraded lands and polluted water bodies. He assured traditional authorities and local assemblies of a stronger role in monitoring compliance under a revised Minerals and Mining Framework. “If we get this right, our greatest export will not be raw gold or lithium,” he said. “It will be Ghanaian talent, Ghanaian technology and Ghanaian enterprise.”
On his part, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, in a passionate address, praised the President’s Reset Agenda and recalled the bold introduction of local content regulations in the petroleum sector during his previous administration.
He described it as courageous leadership that laid the foundation for Ghanaian empowerment in extractives. The Minister lamented that despite over a century of mining in Obuasi, Tarkwa, Prestea, Nsuta and Awaso, the sector has largely operated as an enclave, with less than 40 percent of procurement spend captured by local businesses and more than 70 percent of high-value services sourced from abroad.
Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah declared: “We frown on, and we will not condone, any form of fronting using Ghanaians.” He cautioned against foreign firms hiding behind Ghanaian names to win contracts while retaining control and profits. “Do not sell your birthright for crumbs when you can own the bakery,” he charged local entrepreneurs, urging them to rise to global standards of quality and competitiveness.
With a new Mining Local Content and Local Procurement Policy Framework and a Special Purpose Vehicle in motion, he assured participants that government is moving steadily from policy to practice and is determined to ensure that Ghana is no longer just a destination for extraction, but a true partner in progress.
