Ghana will soon refine its gold resource locally to reap its full economic value in the international commodity market.
A local refinery company to assist in this process, Royal Gold Ghana, will be opened by the end of August 2022.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, who disclosed this after touring the company’s construction site at the premises of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) in Accra said, the value addition of gold resources locally would not only increase its price but would also make it the most sought after at the global commodity market.
“After completion of the refinery, Ghana would not export gold in its raw form, the government would ensure that the state-of-the-art refinery is not a white elephant but is put to use for the benefit of the country,” he emphasized.
He disclosed that the result of the test run of raw gold by the refinery yielded 99.9 per cent, indicating that the standard of Ghana’s gold would soon match that of South Africa.
He said although the refinery would be operated by foreigners, it would create jobs for the youth through knowledge transfer.
He, therefore, charged officials of the PMMC to ensure that the Minamata Convention on Mercury was adhered to in the refinery process to minimize the ecological impact of the refinery.
The construction of the refinery began in 2019. It can refine 300-500 kilograms per day through chemical and electrical methods,
Some facilities available at the Refinery include the control room, the scanner, the refinery section which has the electrolysis machine, the moulding room and the Assay laboratory, among others.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
