Asantehene backs Mahama’s reset agenda on local mineral processing

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has endorsed President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda, describing the government’s push to add value to Ghana’s mineral resources locally as a necessary step towards economic transformation.

According to him, the agenda, which seeks to move Ghana away from exporting raw minerals towards domestic processing and value addition, remains relevant despite the controversies surrounding the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama, the Essumejahene, spoke on behalf of the Asantehene at the Mining in Motion conference on Monday, 19 October 2026.

He said the government’s approach to mineral governance could help Ghana break the cycle of poverty by retaining more value from its natural resources.

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama noted that President Mahama’s reset agenda, announced shortly after he assumed office, places greater control over the country’s mineral wealth and the development of local processing capacity at the centre of its economic ambitions.

He added that the focus on what Ghana produces from its mineral resources, rather than merely exporting them in their raw state, reflects a long-standing national aspiration to use natural wealth to drive 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.

At the same event, President Mahama revealed that 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms have been seized as part of efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, more than 8,200 items, including changfan machines, excavators, and other equipment used in illegal mining, had also been seized.

“We have achieved some successes in the fight against illegal mining. We have confiscated more than 8,200 items. This includes changfan machines, excavators, and other equipment used in illegal mining,” he said.

“We’ve confiscated 135 excavators that were being used in illegal mining, and we have retrieved almost 200 firearms that the people involved in illegal mining had,” he added.

The Asantehene’s endorsement, delivered through the Essumejahene, adds a traditional authority’s voice to the government’s case for processing minerals locally rather than exporting them raw.

The President’s update on the seizures, delivered at the same conference, points to the government’s parallel effort to tackle illegal mining while it pursues its broader agenda on mineral governance and local value addition.