Mining

Mining and quarrying, excluding oil and gas, accounted for 2.7% of Ghana’s real GDP in 2011, having grown 19% that year. The country has been producing higher levels of many minerals, including bauxite, silica, coltan, gold and manganese. Gold in particular has been a major boon to the sector given the investor flight to gold that occurred in the wake of the global financial crisis. Indeed, gold production grew 6.3% in 2011 and many of the country’s producers saw significant increases in profits that year. With mineral exports accounting for nearly 40% of total exports and more than 28% of government revenue, investment in the sector has been increasing and prospects for growth are strong. This chapter contains interviews with Mike Hammah, Minister of Land and Natural Resources; and a dialogue between Peter Anderton, Senior Vice-President, AngloGold Ashanti, and Daniel Owiredu, Senior Vice-President of Operations, Golden Star Resources.