Ghana to Build 24-Hour Minerals Processing Enclave in Western Region, Backed by New Takoradi–Nyinahin Railway

Ghana will establish a 24-hour critical minerals processing enclave in the Western Region to process manganese, bauxite, lithium, and gold locally, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced, as part of a US$1.5 billion push to end the country's long-standing export of raw minerals.

Presenting the 2027 Budget Statement to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Dr. Forson said the enclave would anchor Pillar Four of the New Economy Programme, transforming Ghana's mineral sector from raw export dependency into an industrial economy built on value addition .

"Mr Speaker, we will build a 24-hour critical-minerals processing enclave in the Western Region," Dr. Forson told Parliament .

The Railway That Unlocks the Minerals

The enclave's success depends on a new railway line from Takoradi Harbour to Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region, which the government will begin constructing in 2027 using petroleum revenues and mineral royalties—without borrowing . The line will pass through Nsuta and Awaso, the country's principal manganese and bauxite producing areas, carrying ore to the Western Region for processing .

"For decades, the lack of adequate rail infrastructure has left much of our bauxite and manganese stranded," Dr. Forson said. "The Western Corridor Railway will unlock these mineral resources and put them to work for national development and job creation" .

Ghana holds an estimated one billion tonnes of bauxite deposits at Awaso and Nyinahin alone, which Dr. Forson described as "hundreds of billions of dollars, sitting in our soil, waiting" .

Processing Targets and Export Bans

The government has set ambitious benchmarks. At least 70 percent of artisanal and small-scale gold will be refined locally by the end of 2027, rising to 100 percent by December 2028, when raw ASM gold exports will be prohibited . For manganese and bauxite, at least 50 percent will be processed locally by the end of 2028, with full local processing and a ban on raw exports targeted for 2030 .

Bauxite processing will support domestic alumina refining and aluminium smelting, while lithium development will begin with local refining before progressing to battery-grade chemicals and components .

Power and Port Infrastructure

The enclave will be powered by Pillar Three of the New Economy Programme, which Dr. Forson said will supply the energy backbone for the processing facilities . Takoradi Port will also be developed as a major maritime gateway to the Sahel, with the railway line eventually extended northward to Hamile in the Upper West Region by 2030, serving landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger .

A Legacy of Raw Exports

The initiative directly challenges a generations-old pattern. President John Mahama has set a 2030 deadline for ending raw mineral exports entirely, declaring that "our bauxites, manganese, iron, lithium, and other minerals must support processes and industrial development here at home" . The government has already banned the export of iron scrap and non-ferrous metals .

Success, Dr. Forson said, will be measured by "the value retained within Ghana, export earnings, skilled employment, the development of Ghanaian suppliers, technology transfer and environmental performance" .

As Parliament begins deliberations on the budget, the question will be whether the railway, the power supply, and the processing facilities can be delivered in time to meet the 2028 and 2030 deadlines—and whether Ghana can finally capture the value of minerals it has exported raw for over a century.