Asantehene endorses Mahama’s reset agenda, backs local mineral processing

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has thrown his support behind President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda, particularly its emphasis on processing Ghana’s mineral resources locally to drive economic transformation.

The Asantehene believes the policy direction offers Ghana an opportunity to retain more economic value from its natural resources instead of relying heavily on exports of raw minerals.

His position was conveyed by the Essumejahene, Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama, who spoke on his behalf at the Mining in Motion conference on Monday, October 19.

He said the government's approach to mineral governance could help the country break the cycle of poverty by strengthening local processing and ensuring that more benefits from mineral extraction remain within the domestic economy.

According to him, the reset agenda, introduced shortly after President Mahama assumed office, places greater control over Ghana’s mineral wealth and the development of local processing capacity at the centre of the government’s economic ambitions.

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama added that the emphasis on what Ghana produces from its minerals, rather than simply exporting them in their raw state, reflects a longstanding national aspiration to use natural resources to support industrial development.

“Over the past year, the controls of the new agenda have become whatever we make of the minerals in the ground and the government's mineral policies. Regardless of the controversies surrounding the Gold Board, there should be no doubt that the nature of the President's reset agenda takes us right back to the very foundation of our republic, when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah sought to harness our minerals and move to establish a gold refinery in Tarkwa,” he said.

Despite the controversies surrounding the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), the Asantehene’s representative maintained that the broader direction of the government's mineral policy remains significant to Ghana’s economic future.

He said the current policy presents an opportunity for the country to build on the industrial vision associated with Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, by expanding domestic value addition and maximising the economic benefits derived from its mineral resources.