President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to transform the mining industry through a transformative reset agenda.
Speaking at the opening of the Local Content Summit 2026 in Takoradi, Western Region, President Mahama outlined Five Strategic Pillars that would guide the approach to local content.
Local Content refers to policies requiring mining companies to prioritise the hiring of local workers and the procurement of domestic goods, services, and financing.
It aims to maximise the economic value retained within the host country, foster industrial development, and reduce reliance on foreign expertise.
The two-day Summit is being organised by the Minerals Commission on the team “Strengthening Local Content and Indigenisation: Building a Resilient Mining Sector in Ghana.”
The Summit marks a significant step in advancing Ghana’s mining industry through enhanced local participation and sustainable resource management.
The first of the Five Strategic Pillars, the President noted that Local Content must evolve from transactional procurements to transformational partnerships.
He noted that the Government was reviewing and refining the nation’s mining legislation and regulatory frameworks to ensure that Ghanaian enterprises move up the mining value chain.
He said from suppliers of consumables to manufacturers of critical components, from service providers to innovators, the Government would incentivise mining firms to build local capacity and not simply purchase locally.
He said equity participation, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing must become standard practice and not the exception.
He said the second pillar was that it was no longer acceptable for Ghana to continue to export raw ores and import finished products.
He reiterated that they must aim to eliminate raw ore exports within the next five years.
“We must support the establishment of refineries and bullion infrastructure. We must promote mineral-based industrial clusters,” he said.
“We must facilitate downstream processing of our bauxites, manganese, and lithium. We must align our mining strategy with a global green energy transition.”
He said the nation’s mineral wealth must power Ghana’s industrialisation, not merely sustain export dependence.
The President said the third, no mining sector could be competitive without a skilled workforce.
President Mahama said they would strengthen institutions such as the University of Mines and Technology (UMAT) and technical universities.
He said they would deepen apprenticeship programmes in collaboration with the mining industry, adding that they would prioritise skills in automation and robotics, drone and modern exploration technologies, data analytics, environmental sustainability, and renewable energy integration.
President Mahama said the fourth, the future of mining was digital, sustainable, and technology-driven; declaring that Ghana must become a hub for AI-assisted exploration, for IoT-enabled asset management, for blockchain-based supply chain transparency, and for local research and design (R&D), addressing Ghana-specific mining challenges.
“We will explore establishing a national mining innovation and research hub to institutionalise knowledge sharing and technology adaptation. This summit must mark the beginning of a structured ecosystem and not a one-off event.”
The President said the Fifth Pillar was indigenous participation in the mining sector, saying the government would encourage and support the indigenous Ghanaian private sector to scale up from just mining subcontracting to full ownership of world-class mining operations.
He noted the current development of the Black Volta Gold Project by the indigenous Ghanaian company Engineers and Planners Limited, the first mining project of such scale being undertaken by a wholly owned Ghanaian company.
President Mahama said that when operational, this project would produce about 170,000 ounces of gold a year over a mine life of over 15 years or more.
With regards to responsible and community-centred mining, he said local content could not be separated from responsible mining and expressed the government’s commitment to strengthening development agreements and community engagement under the revised Minerals and Mining Framework.
President Mahama said traditional authorities and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) would continue to play a decisive role in monitoring compliance and safeguarding community interests, adding that mining must leave their communities better than it found them.
“We’ll continue the fight against illegal gold mining and work to formalise the artisanal and small-scale mining sectors. We’ll increase our efforts to clean our water bodies and reclaim the lands that have been mined out.”
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said the Minerals Commission had developed a Mining Local Content and Local Procurement Policy Framework that prioritised Ghanaian participation, not as an afterthought, but as a strategic imperative.
He said the establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle to drive sustainable partnerships and industrialisation was well underway, saying, “We are moving, steadily and surely, from policy to practice.”
