Ghana Manganese Company is targeting about 700,000 tonnes of manganese ore in August as the easing of heavy rains allows mining operations at Nsuta in the Western Region to pick up.
The company’s target comes after persistent rainfall disrupted mining activities in recent months, affecting access to ore-bearing areas, haulage and other operations associated with open-pit mining.
With weather conditions improving, Ghana Manganese expects production to recover and volumes to rise during the month.
The August target is particularly significant because the company is working towards an ambitious goal of producing and exporting up to 10 million tonnes of manganese in 2026.
Achieving that target would require a substantial increase in activity at the Nsuta mine and put additional pressure on the company’s mining, haulage, processing and export infrastructure.
A key part of the expansion plan is the use of increased shipping capacity at the Port of Takoradi. Earlier this year, the MV CBS Years, a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of about 300,000 tonnes, became the largest bulk carrier to berth at the port.
The vessel’s arrival was seen as an important development in efforts to move larger quantities of manganese through Takoradi as Ghana Manganese scales up production.
For Ghana, the expected increase in manganese output could have wider economic benefits. Manganese remains an important mineral export, with major applications in steel production and growing relevance to battery technologies.
Higher production and exports could therefore generate additional foreign-exchange earnings, support port activity and increase revenue from the mineral sector.
However, the bigger question is whether Ghana can move beyond exporting largely raw manganese ore and retain more of the mineral’s value within the country.
The government and Ghana Manganese Company are advancing plans for a manganese refinery at Nsuta-Tarkwa, aimed at supporting the country’s broader push for mineral beneficiation and local processing.
Government information indicates that the proposed refinery could increase manganese concentration from about 27% to approximately 40%, with the potential to produce higher-grade materials that could eventually serve the battery supply chain.
The refinery is therefore expected to play an important role in determining the long-term economic benefits of Ghana’s manganese expansion.
Increasing raw ore exports would boost volumes and potentially generate more revenue, but processing the mineral domestically could create additional value through industrial activity, employment, taxation and downstream investment.
The move is also consistent with Ghana’s broader effort to reduce its dependence on exporting minerals in their largely unprocessed form.
Ghana Manganese Company is 90% owned through interests linked to Tianyuan Manganese Industry, while the Ghanaian state holds the remaining 10%, according to publicly available information on the company’s ownership structure
The planned increase in production, however, has also raised concerns about the environmental and social impact of mining around the Nsuta concession.
An investigation published by Global Witness earlier this year raised concerns about the effects of increased manganese production on nearby communities, including claims involving waste accumulation, dust, water quality and the proximity of mining infrastructure to settlements.
According to the organisation, Ghana Manganese’s production target increased from 5.70 million tonnes in 2024 to 8.00 million tonnes in 2025, with the company targeting 10 million tonnes in 2026.
The concerns highlight the need for environmental safeguards and community infrastructure to keep pace with the expansion of mining activities.
As production rises, waste movement, truck traffic and pressure on roads and water systems are also likely to increase. The success of the expansion will therefore depend not only on how much ore is mined but also on how responsibly the growth is managed.
The August target will provide an important indication of whether Ghana Manganese can accelerate production sufficiently during the second half of the year to remain on track for its 2026 goal.
Producing 10 million tonnes over a full year would require an average of about 833,333 tonnes per month. Mining output, however, is rarely consistent from month to month, as rainfall, equipment availability, maintenance and the sequencing of mining operations can all affect production.
The improvement in weather therefore gives the company an opportunity to make up for some of the disruption experienced during the rainy season.
But production is only one part of the equation.
The ore must also be transported from Nsuta to Takoradi and loaded onto vessels efficiently if higher mine output is to translate into increased export earnings.
The introduction of larger bulk carriers, including the MV CBS Years, is expected to help address some of these logistical constraints and support the company’s expansion plans.
For Ghana Manganese, the August production push brings together three major objectives: increasing mine output, expanding exports and developing domestic processing capacity.
Whether the company can achieve these objectives at the same time will determine the broader economic impact of Ghana’s manganese expansion.
For now, the immediate opportunity is to take advantage of the improving weather and raise production.
If Ghana Manganese delivers its targeted 700,000 tonnes in August and sustains stronger output in the months ahead, it will move closer to its ambitious 10-million-tonne target.
But the ultimate measure of success will not simply be the number of tonnes mined.
It will be whether Ghana can turn its growing manganese production into higher foreign-exchange earnings, local processing, industrial jobs and lasting benefits for communities around Nsuta, one of the country’s longest-running mining operations.
