Ghana will stop exporting raw materials by 2030, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said, aiming to industrialise the economy and keep more wealth from its natural resources inside the country.
“We are no longer going to export any raw material. Not one,” Ablakwa said, naming cocoa, gold and bauxite as examples of resources the government wants to process locally before export. The move is part of a broader effort to reduce Ghana’s reliance on external support and increase control over its resources amid shifting global politics.
Ablakwa described the current global tensions as an opportunity for Ghana and other African countries to find home-grown solutions and negotiate better agreements. “We see this as an opportunity to look within and find home-grown solutions to our challenges,” he said.
Africa’s population, with a median age of 19 and about 1.4 billion people, is expected to make up one in every four people worldwide by 2050. The continent also has large deposits of oil, gas, lithium, cobalt, cocoa and bauxite. Ablakwa said these resources combined with the demographic potential should position Africa as a major economic force.
But he warned that the continent cannot keep depending on external assistance. “Africa, despite its vast natural and human resources, could no longer afford to remain dependent on external assistance,” he said.
Ablakwa gave an example of Ghana’s refusal of a health financing package worth less than $200 million because of conditions that would compromise citizens’ privacy by granting access to health and pathogen data. “We refused. But we found the resources within,” he said.
The minister said this decision showed the need to build domestic resilience and strengthen national capacity without sacrificing strategic interests for external funding. “Smart leaders must take advantage and create new wealth for Africans. That’s how we see it,” Ablakwa added.
Ghana is also seeking to renegotiate resource deals to secure better returns. Ablakwa said past agreements left the country with a small share of the wealth. He cited gold mining agreements where Ghana holds only 10 per cent interest while 90 per cent goes to other parties. The country’s interests in oil and gas will also be reassessed.
“We have a new framework where we are negotiating hard and smart,” Ablakwa said.
Technological advances, including artificial intelligence, give Ghana a chance to develop local expertise and improve how it manages resources.
On the global stage, Ghana is looking beyond traditional allies. Ablakwa said the country will pursue partnerships based on mutual interests, fairness and clear benefits for citizens, rather than historical ties or old alliances.
He pointed to Ghana’s role in pushing a United Nations resolution that declared transatlantic enslavement the greatest crime against humanity, a resolution supported by 123 countries. Such voting patterns help Ghana identify potential diplomatic and economic partners.
Ghana is preparing to chair the African Union and wants to strengthen cooperation with blocs like BRICS and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). As host of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Ghana sees the agreement as a chance to create the world’s largest trading market if intra-African trade barriers fall. Currently, trade within Africa makes up only about 14 per cent of the continent’s overall trade.
Cabinet has recently considered Ghana’s possible membership in BRICS and views it positively.
Ablakwa said Ghana’s foreign policy will focus more on national interest than historical relationships. “This business of these are my traditional allies, these were colonial masters, these are the people who have been with us — it doesn’t work,” he said.
“We are looking at those who are willing to create win-win partnerships. Negotiate fairly, no exploitation, no arm-twisting, no conditionalities.”
He added that Ghana will explore alternative partnerships whenever current ones fail to serve the country’s interests. Governments have limited time to deliver on promises, so they must move beyond nostalgia and seek partnerships that deliver concrete results.
The target to end raw material exports by 2030 sets a clear deadline for Ghana’s industrial ambitions. Whether the country can build the necessary processing capacity and negotiate better terms will shape its future economic standing in a changing global order.
According to Joy Online.
