President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has urged African countries to take full control of their natural resources and shift away from exporting raw materials.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, February 6, on the sidelines of his three-day state visit to Zambia, the President called for value addition to ensure that the continent benefits more from its wealth.
He highlighted Ghana’s ongoing efforts to refine gold locally as a model for other African nations.
“We must take more control of our resources. We must add value to our resources,” the President said.
He explained that exporting raw materials allows other countries to profit from Africa’s resources by adding value before selling finished products back at much higher prices.
The President encouraged African governments to implement policies that incentivise refining and processing locally, citing Ghana’s gold-refining program.
“Copper is taken from Zambia, refined elsewhere, and returned at 1,000 times the cost. The same with Ghana’s minerals,” Mr. Mahama said, adding, “We need to push for value addition so that African countries earn more from their own resources.”
He called for stronger continental cooperation, emphasising that African nations must collectively work to manage their resources, increase local beneficiation, and ensure sustainable economic growth.
Africa must take charge of its resources, move from raw export — Mahama
