ACCRA, Oct 29 – Russian aluminium producer Rusal plans to establish a joint venture in Ghana to mine and process bauxite, targeting annual production of 5 million metric tons, according to Russia’s state news agency RIA.
The proposed venture would also have annual processing capacity of 1.2 million metric tons, Rusal Chief Executive Evgeny Nikitin told RIA. The agreement was formalised in a memorandum signed on Thursday with Ghana’s state agency responsible for developing the country’s aluminium industry.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow. Details of the proposed project’s investment value, development timeline, location and ownership structure were not disclosed in the report.
The initiative could expand Rusal’s access to bauxite, the principal raw material used in aluminium production, while supporting Ghana’s ambitions to develop more of its domestic mineral resources through processing and industrial activity.
Rusal expands its African bauxite footprint
Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium producer outside China, already has substantial bauxite operations in Guinea, one of Africa’s major producers of the mineral.
Its Guinean assets include Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK), which it owns and operates, the Dian-Dian deposit, which it is developing, and the Friguia complex.
The planned Ghana venture would add another West African presence to a supply network that is important to the company’s aluminium value chain. Securing bauxite resources is strategically significant for producers seeking to maintain reliable supplies for alumina refining and aluminium smelting.
Production capacity and raw material supply
Rusal operates seven bauxite mines worldwide, including two in Russia. The company produced 18.453 million metric tons of bauxite in 2025, with its own production covering 88% of the bauxite requirements of its alumina refineries.
The proposed Ghana operation’s targeted annual output of 5 million metric tons would represent a substantial addition to the company’s production plans if the project reaches its stated capacity. Its proposed processing capacity of 1.2 million metric tons would also establish a domestic processing component, although the memorandum does not specify the intended products or the project’s full industrial configuration.
For Ghana, the agreement aligns with efforts to develop its aluminium industry beyond raw material extraction. The project’s eventual contribution will depend on its financing, implementation schedule, resource development and the extent of processing undertaken locally.
