Accra: Ghana has officially launched national standards for grinding media, a critical consumable in the country's gold and mineral mining operations, to boost local content in the sector. The launch, a culmination of discussions that began in 2014, aims to address the limited availability of quality locally manufactured grinding media and strengthen the mining industry's reliance on domestic production.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, emphasized that the standards were designed to position mining as a transformative force in Ghana's economic development by harnessing the potential of local grinding media. He noted that grinding media is central to mineral processing, influencing productivity, recovery rates, operational efficiency, and profitability, which ultimately impacts government revenue.
The event, hosted by the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), brought together key stakeholders, including regulators, industry executives, and academia. Dr. Ashigbey highlighted the challenges posed by the absence of consistent quality standards, asserting that standardized grinding media would enhance operational efficiency, improve reliability, and strengthen confidence in locally manufactured products. This initiative aims to position Ghana as a hub for mining support services in West Africa.
Dr. Ashigbey pointed out that the procurement of grinding media had grown from approximately US$33 million in 2014 to over US$131 million by December 2023, with only US$20 million sourced from local manufacturers. He emphasized that this gap represents an opportunity to deepen industrialization, create jobs, retain economic value, and expand the government's manufacturing footprint. He urged all stakeholders to prioritize the implementation of the standards to enable Ghanaian manufacturers to compete in both local and international markets.
Professor George Agyei, Director-General of the GSA, described the new standards as a regulatory and industrial policy triumph that would help Ghana reduce its reliance on imported standards. He assured that the new standards would allow Ghanaian manufacturers to invest confidently, with the GSA committed to developing infrastructure to enforce the standards effectively.
Mr. Isaac Andrews Tandoh, CEO of the Minerals Commission, said the new standards, which defined chemical composition, hardness, dimensional tolerance, and impact recovery benchmarks, would provide local producers with clear investment targets and offer mining companies a reliable basis for procurement decisions. He commended the Ghana Chamber of Mines and its partners for their efforts in ensuring the success of the standards development process, emphasizing that it had been driven by research, testing, stakeholder consultation, and publication.
Mr. Tandoh pledged that the Minerals Commission would exercise its regulatory oversight with precision, encouraging mine operators to source locally without compromising on performance, and ensuring fairness and accountability in enforcement. He called for collaboration between the industry, regulators, and all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the standards.