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.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said the standards were designed to position mining as a transformative force in Ghana’s economic development by harnessing the potential of local grinding media.

“Grinding media is not just another example of mining inputs. It is central to mineral processing and directly influences productivity, recovery rates, operational efficiency, and ultimately the profitability of mining operations, which in turn impacts government revenue,” he said.

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, noting that standardised grinding media would enhance operational efficiency, improve reliability, and strengthen confidence in locally manufactured products, ultimately positioning Ghana as a hub for mining support services in West Africa.

He 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, underscoring the scale of the opportunity in grinding media.

“This gap represents far more than a statistic. It is an opportunity to deepen industrialisation, create jobs, retain value within our economy, and expand government’s manufacturing footprint.

“At the Ghana Chamber of Mines, our commitment, together with our member companies, has been steadfast to ensure that mining serves as a catalyst for national development and the full proof of industrialisation in Ghana,” he said.

Dr. Ashigbey urged all stakeholders to prioritise 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.

“Today, Ghana asserts standard sovereignty in one of the most technically demanding inputs of the processing industry. The quality of grinding media is not merely a procurement concern but a metallurgical, engineering, and financial variable of the highest strategic consequence,” he said.

Prof. Agyei assured that the new standards would allow Ghanaian manufacturers to invest confidently, with 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, noting that it had not relied on government directives but 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.

“We can encourage mine operators to source locally without compromising on performance,” he said, calling for collaboration between the industry, regulators, and all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the standards.