Ghana retains crown as Africa's largest gold producer

Ghana continues to hold its crown as Africa’s largest producer of gold, a position that reinforces the country’s global relevance in the mining industry.

The President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Michael Edem Akafia, stated that despite challenges, Ghana remains firmly ahead of its peers on the continent.

“In terms of performance, if you look at it on the global level, Ghana is still maintaining its place as the biggest gold producer in Africa and sits prominently on the global stage. So those are the positives you have going for it,” he said, as quoted by myjoyonline.com.

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However, Akafia cautioned that the headline figures do not tell the full story.

According to him, Ghana produced approximately 4.8 million ounces of gold last year, with much of the growth driven by artisanal and small-scale miners.

“If you unpack it and look behind those headlines, you find that there may be challenges and issues of concern for the industry. We believe that Ghana should continue to position itself as a beacon for the mining industry generally, because we are known to be a relatively more mature mining industry,” he told JoyNews.

He pointed out that output from small-scale operations surged from 1.1 million ounces in 2023 to 1.9 million ounces in 2024, while large-scale production remained flat at about 2.9 million ounces.

Akafia further indicated that ongoing discussions on reforms to the country’s mining laws are being closely monitored by industry players, even as Ghana consolidates its role as one of the world’s most important gold producers.

SSD/MA

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