Mabel Acquaye
Ghana could significantly increase revenues from its industrial minerals sector if regulatory oversight, value addition and monitoring systems are strengthened, Senior Policy Analyst at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Mabel Acquaye, has said.
She made the call while delivering a presentation at a capacity-building workshop for parliamentary correspondents, where she highlighted how weak governance and limited attention to industrial minerals continue to undermine their contribution to national development.
According to Mrs. Acquaye, studies by ACEP indicate that the country can generate up to 18 times more revenue from the quarry sector alone if proper regulatory and revenue monitoring mechanisms are enforced.
She noted that while attention has largely focused on precious minerals such as gold, industrial minerals, including limestone, clay, salt, sand and sandstone, remain severely underutilised despite their high domestic consumption rates.
She explained that gold accounts for over 90 percent of the country’s mineral exports, yet the mining sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains relatively low compared to agriculture.
In contrast, industrial minerals, which are largely consumed locally, offer stronger opportunities for value addition, job creation and stable revenues since they are less exposed to international price volatility.
Mrs. Acquaye stressed that globally, industrial and development minerals account for more than 80 percent of total mineral production, while high-value precious minerals make up less than 20 percent.
However, she said Africa, including Ghana, has failed to reflect this global trend in policy focus, governance frameworks and investment priorities.
She cited countries such as Uganda, Zambia and Cameroon as examples where industrial minerals have been prioritised through targeted mining policies, regulation of construction minerals and support for artisanal and small-scale mining.
Ghana, she noted, still treats all minerals under a single regulatory framework, limiting the country’s ability to optimise the industrial minerals value chain.
A major challenge, she pointed out, is weak revenue oversight at quarry and industrial mineral sites.
Unlike large-scale mining operations, she said, institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Minerals Commission have limited on-site presence, relying largely on self-reported production data from companies, a situation that creates room for under-reporting and revenue leakages.
To address this, Mrs. Acquaye advocated the adoption of remote monitoring technology, including laser scanners at quarry entry and exit points, to independently verify production volumes in real time.
She explained that such systems would improve royalty collection, enhance transparency, reduce disputes and allow both regulators and the public to track production and revenues through digital dashboards.
She further called for legislative reforms, stronger institutional coordination and capacity building for regulators and security agencies to ensure compliance, arguing that industrial minerals could become a key driver of local industrialisation, infrastructure development and inclusive economic growth if properly governed.
By Ernest Kofi Adu