Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, Ing. Samuel Boakye Pobee, has challenged Ghana to rethink its approach to mineral resource governance, stressing that the nation must move beyond raw extraction to long-term transformation.
Speaking at the ALUMaT Lecture in Tarkwa, Ing. Pobee captured the dilemma in stark terms: “We are rich underground, but poor above ground.” He argued that Ghana’s mineral wealth will only translate into true national prosperity if the country adopts a strategic framework for growth.
He proposed what he called the Build–Borrow–Buy Framework as a practical tool to guide this transformation. Under this model, Ghana must:
Build capabilities internally by investing in institutions such as the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), creating R&D hubs, establishing training schools in mining communities like Obuasi and Tarkwa, and supporting Ghanaian-led research into mining innovation and sustainability.
Borrow expertise by partnering with international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and entering joint ventures that transfer knowledge and strengthen local supplier capacity.
Buy strategic assets through mechanisms such as mobilising Ghana’s pension funds and deploying sovereign investment vehicles to secure greater equity in mining ventures.
According to Ing. Pobee, this framework is not abstract theory but a blueprint for action that ensures Ghana retains more revenue, deepens local content participation, and channels natural resource wealth into education, infrastructure, and innovation.
He also cautioned against calls for wholesale nationalisation of Ghana’s mining sector, describing it as a “mixed-bag solution” with both successes and failures globally. Instead, he advocated for strategic participation, where Ghana strengthens ownership and equity without scaring away investors or placing unsustainable operational risks on the state.
“The real measure of success will not be ounces produced, but industries created, skills developed, and futures secured,” Pobee said, urging bold and strategic steps to make Ghana’s mining story a model of transformation by 2045.
