Business & Finance

Rusal Plans Joint Venture to Mine and Process Bauxite in Ghana

By Prosper Kuzo

Russian aluminium company Rusal is planning to create a joint venture in Ghana to mine and process bauxite, the raw material used to produce aluminium, according to the state news agency RIA. The memorandum, signed on Thursday, was signed on the sidelines of the Russia‑Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow with the Ghanaian state agency responsible for developing the country’s aluminium industry. Evgeny Nikitin, Rusal’s chief executive, told RIA that the company aims for an annual bauxite production of 5 million metric tons in Ghana and an annual processing capacity of 1.2 million tons. Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium producer outside China, already operates in Guinea where it owns and runs the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK), is developing the Dian‑Dian deposit and operates the Friguia complex. The company runs seven bauxite mines worldwide, two of which are in Russia. In 2025 Rusal produced 18.453 million metric tons of bauxite, with its own production meeting 88 % of the bauxite needs of its alumina refineries. Ghana and other African countries continue to face challenges in managing mineral wealth, often exporting raw materials while importing finished products. The West African nation is pursuing reforms to strengthen local participation and to stop raw mineral exports by 2030.