Mineral Revenue Jumps 39%

... Led by Gold and Manganese Sales
Ghana's mineral revenue increased 39 percent to $1.2 billion in the six months through June, boosted by gold and manganese sales, the west African country's Chamber of Mines said in an e-mailed statement.

Revenue from gold mining, which accounts for almost 95 percent of Ghana's mineral earnings, climbed 40 percent in the period to $1.12 billion, the Accra-based chamber said in an e- mailed statement today. Gold production in Ghana, Africa's second-biggest producer of the metal, rose 3 percent to 1.27 million ounces.

Earnings from manganese sales more than doubled to $32.6 million even as production in the period slipped 1 percent to 567,838 tons. Revenue from diamonds slumped 21 percent to $12.6 million, mirroring a 22 percent decline in production of the precious stones to 395,236 carats.

Bauxite output fell 8 percent to 304,542 tons, while revenue dropped 2 percent to $8.6 million.