Satellites hold promise for Ghana’s growing mining sector

In June 2019 Ghana surpassed South Africa to become Africa’s largest gold producer – claiming the title from the continent’s undisputed leader for over a century.

Ghana’s favourable regulatory environment and abundant natural resources are frequently cited as the reason for this achievement. The success is also a reflection of the country’s growing capabilities in mining: in 2018 alone, Ghana’s gold production rose by 12%.

In total, mining contributes 5% to Ghana’s GDP, and makes up about 37% of its exports, of which over 90% is gold. Maintaining and increasing gold mining output is thus a priority sector for the Ghanaian government.

As Ghana seeks to expand its mining sector while still maintaining an investor-friendly environment, one new technology has the potential to help: customisable satellite broadband connectivity.

In September 2018, YahClick introduced high performance Ka-band satellite broadband to Ghana for the first time. Our service - the satellite broadband offering from UAE-based global satellite operator Yahsat and its partner Hughes Network Systems - delivers reliability, speed, and efficiencies to help accelerate the pace of progress seen from Ghana’s mining industry.

With the deployment of reliable satellite broadband, YahClick and our service partners Teledata ICT and Comsys can help miners overcome the connectivity challenges they face at remote sites. Doing so improves efficiency and profitability through better business continuity, remote operations, and security, while also enhancing employee welfare.

But beyond these advantages, satellites have another role to play in Ghana’s thriving mining sector: monitoring and regulating operations.

Where gold mining used to be confined to small-scale extraction as a way for households to supplement their income, the early 2000’s saw significant change; international miners arrived in Ghana with much larger operations. The lack of regulation at the time meant that some were free to operate in ways that caused significant environmental degradation, such as felling large areas of forest and contaminating sources of drinking water with harmful by-products. This led the government to place a total ban on all illegal small-scale mining ‘Galamsey’ and subsequently lifting it in December 2017, reissuing permits to miners who could meet defined environmental standards. Satellite technology plays an important role in enforcing these new regulations by identifying changes in the landscape that point towards illegal and damaging mining practices, helping to legitimise the industry . Ultimately, creating a more robust regulatory environment is seen as an important tactic in attracting major mining companies to invest in the country, to complement the contribution made by Ghana’s small-scale miners.

Satellite technology is a significant tool in both governing Ghana’s mining sector and empowering industry players to operate more efficiently. As the technology becomes more affordable and available, the country’s mining sector stands to benefit greatly through advancements in each of these areas, as greater regulation attracts new investment and improved efficiency leads to higher output.

YahClick introduced Ka-band satellite broadband to the country in September 2018 with the aim to provide Ghana with reliable, cost-effective, high-performance connectivity that promised to usher in a new age of economic and social progress. Recent advancements to Ghana’s mining sector are one such example of economic progress, and also another example of how satellite broadband can help promising industries to begin realising their potential.