Ghana Plans to Ban Raw Material Exports

Ghanaian President John Mahama called for a ban on the export of unprocessed raw materials by 2030. The announcement was made at the Mining in Motion 2026 summit in Accra. The head of state called for the creation of integrated regional infrastructure and processing capacities to enable Africa to transform raw materials into high-tech goods.

Ghanaian authorities intend to focus on combating illegal mining, restoring degraded lands, and legalizing the artisanal sector. Illegal mining has already destroyed more than 12,000 acres of land, of which 800 acres have been restored and replanted. Ghana joins a growing trend of African countries (including Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe) shifting to domestic processing to sell higher-value products on global markets.

The trend toward banning raw material exports represents a tectonic shift in the global resource market. Russia, as a major supplier of raw materials, is facing a changing market environment. On the one hand, African countries’ shift away from raw material exports could temporarily increase global prices for some metals. On the other hand, this opens up a colossal market for Russian equipment. The construction of processing plants requires mills, crushers, beneficiation facilities, and engineering services, in which Russia has strong competencies.

African countries are aiming to establish a full production cycle locally.

Russian mining and metallurgy companies should reorient their African strategies from simply importing resources to jointly building processing facilities. Participating in local value creation will not only maintain access to raw materials but also occupy a niche as industrial equipment suppliers.

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