Ghana has reached an agreement with Russian aluminium producer RUSAL to develop a US$1.5 billion alumina refinery at Nyinahin, in a major step towards processing the country’s bauxite locally.
The agreement between the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and RUSAL provides for the construction and joint operation of a refinery with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of alumina.
The project, expected to take about 36 months to complete, will use bauxite from the Nyinahin deposit and natural gas as its energy source.
Under the arrangement, the project will be implemented through two joint ventures, Nyinahini Bauxite Ltd and Ghana Alumina Company. RUSAL will finance the projects and hold majority stakes in both companies.
The agreement was signed in Moscow on October 29, 2026, during the Russia–Africa Forum.
The proposed development also includes plans to mine five million tonnes of bauxite annually to supply the refinery, establishing an integrated operation from extraction to alumina production.
RUSAL said the agreement would strengthen its raw material supply base while creating an opportunity to establish an integrated production chain in Ghana.
GIADEC said the partnership aligns with its mandate to develop an integrated aluminium industry by processing Ghana’s bauxite domestically.
The corporation said the projects were expected to generate thousands of jobs, create opportunities for Ghanaian contractors and suppliers, and support improvements to rail and port infrastructure.
The agreement also provides for joint exploration of newly identified hills in the Bono, Western, Ashanti and Eastern regions to determine the commercial viability of their bauxite reserves.
GIADEC was established under the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation Act, 2018 (Act 976), to promote the development of an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana, covering bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and downstream manufacturing.
