Here's how many jobs government's integrated aluminium plan could create

The Chief Executive Officer of the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO), Dr Robert Malika Sambian, has revealed that Ghana’s integrated aluminium industry plan has the potential to generate about 5,000 jobs.

He explained that the initiative, anchored on the government’s policy to develop a fully integrated aluminium sector, would transform the industry and significantly boost VALCO’s competitiveness.

Dr Sambian stated that VALCO is well positioned to secure a bauxite mining concession, which would enable the company to refine raw bauxite into alumina.

The alumina would then be processed at the VALCO smelter to produce aluminium, a move he believes will strengthen the company’s operations and create substantial employment opportunities.

Speaking on Citi FM’s Eye Witness News on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, Dr Sambian said, “In line with the government’s policy of achieving an integrated aluminium industry in the country, VALCO can make a case for a bauxite mining concession where we will refine the bauxite into alumina and send it to the smelter for production. This will improve competitiveness.”

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“That is where the 5,000 jobs will come from. You will have people producing the alumina, people working in power plants and port facilities, and they will be operating within a 24-hour economy as well,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed in October last year that the government requires about US$2.3 billion in short-term investment to modernise VALCO.

He noted that VALCO is currently operating at just 23 percent capacity due to major infrastructural challenges, which have undermined efficiency and profitability.

The government’s integrated aluminium plan, if successfully implemented, could mark a turning point for VALCO and position Ghana as a competitive player in the global aluminium market.

SA/MA

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