Rusal and Ghana body target 5 million tonnes of bauxite a year
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business Day (South Africa)
Russian aluminium producer Rusal and the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation plan to develop Ghanaian bauxite, with annual production potentially reaching 5 million tonnes, and build an alumina refinery with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes. Both projects will be run by joint ventures majority-owned by Rusal, according to the company.
Russian aluminium producer Rusal and the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation, the Ghanaian public body responsible for aluminium development, will create two joint ventures to mine bauxite and produce alumina in Ghana. The projects are expected to reach annual capacities of 5 million tonnes of bauxite and 1.2 million tonnes of alumina, according to Rusal, cited by Reuters.
The operations will concern the Nyinahin deposit in south-western Ghana, whose resources are estimated at more than 100 million tonnes of bauxite. Rusal will hold a majority stake in both joint ventures, according to the Russian company.
The project is expected to contribute to processing bauxite on Ghanaian territory and bring investment, create thousands of jobs and improve rail and port infrastructure, said Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah, chief executive of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation. Ghana cancelled a $1.2 billion lease agreement with local company Rocksure International in 2025 in order to seek a foreign partner to develop Nyinahin.
Rusal is seeking to reduce its dependence on foreign alumina suppliers after losing about 40% of its supplies from Ukraine and Australia in 2022. The group produced 6.858 million tonnes of alumina in 2025, representing 4.7% of global production and 85% of its requirements, according to data provided by the company.
