The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has thrown his weight behind President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda, saying the plan to add value to Ghana’s minerals locally is key to economic transformation.
He said the policy shift from exporting raw minerals to local processing could help break Ghana’s cycle of poverty by ensuring the country retains more value from its natural resources.
The Asantehene made the remarks through his representative, Essumejahene Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama, at the Mining in Motion conference on Monday, October 19.
According to him, although the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has generated controversy, the broader intent of the government’s mineral governance agenda remains critical.
“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.
Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama explained that President Mahama’s reset agenda, announced after assuming office, seeks to place greater control over Ghana’s mineral wealth in the hands of the state while building local processing capacity.
He noted that the emphasis on what the country produces from its minerals, rather than just exporting them raw, reflects a long-standing national ambition to use natural resources as a driver for industrial development.
He added that the current policy direction offers a chance to build on that legacy and ensure Ghanaians benefit more from the country’s mineral endowment.
