Addis Ababa — Despite the significant contribution of the mining sector to the economy of Ghana, the country is far from tapping its full potential in creating strong and sustainable linkages, both within the mining sector and more broadly with other industrial activities.

The African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC), the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) will jointly organize a workshop on 1-2 November 2017, at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana. The event will present detailed findings on opportunities for upstream value addition and to engage key stakeholders on moving forward with an innovative Supplier Development Programme for Ghana, which will link directly with the Government's priorities for industrialization and transformation.

Few strong domestic upstream industries have been developed to supply the mining industry, regardless of recent attempts by Ghana to foster local content. As the country embraces its new reform programme and 'sows the seeds for growth and jobs', there is a need to recalibrate policies to better tap the potential of the mineral sector. The procurement market of the mining sector is particularly important, because it can provide substantial growth and development as well as employment opportunities.

The launch of a National Supplier Development Programme for Ghana and workshop on value addition in Ghana's mineral sector will see the rolling-out of joint work by the partner institutions and also present substantive work on Local Content and Value Addition in the context of Ghana's broader mandate to promote policies for economic transformation. Further, the workshop will cement Ghana's position as a launching-point for regional mineral linkages and value addition across West Africa.

Workshop participants include a wide range of stakeholders already engaged in past consultative meetings in Ghana, as well as other relevant and vested stakeholders and parties.