Mining

Once known as the Gold Coast, Ghana is a key player in the international gold market and Africa’s second-largest producer. In 2013, 86.6% of export revenues from the mining sector came from gold, making the metal the top export and source of foreign currency. Gold generated $4.2bn in 2013, compared with $3.2bn from oil and $1.3bn from cocoa. Growth has been hampered in recent years by external factors such as lower metal prices and internal ones like the rising cost of electricity and illegal mining. These difficulties have combined to boost costs and lower profit margins in the sector, and legal and regulatory changes are in the works. For now, exploration activity is minimal, but authorities hope that when global conditions for mining improve a boost in activity will follow.

This chapter contains an interview with Sulemanu Koney, CEO, Ghana Chamber of Mines.