Global South Pole

Ghana’s Tantalum Discovery & Africa's Journey to Self-Sufficiency

A team of researchers has discovered significant tantalum deposits in Ghana, positioning the country to tap into the booming global tech market that relies on this critical mineral. This finding could bolster Ghana’s mining industry and contribute to its economic growth.
Sputnik
Tantalum is a metal that, when extracted from the Earth's crust, has various applications, particularly in electronics, where it is commonly used in components like capacitors and resistors, Dr. Emmanuel Daanoba Sunkari, Lecturer at the Department of Geological Engineering, Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Studies, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana, tells Global South Pole.
The Ghanaian researcher further explains that Ghana has much to gain, being richly endowed with mineral resources. This abundance is the reason it was once known as the Gold Coast, and today, the country continues to benefit, holding the position of Africa's largest gold producer and exporter.

“Tantalum is going to add to the resource base of Ghana, and now it is going to help in revenue generation for the country in two forms. Number one, exchange earnings. When we are able to mine the tantalum, we will export [it] and Ghana will get some money out of that. Now, also, we have what we call taxes from the mining companies. Ghana is going to gain some money from it. Royalties, even fees for license to operate, and all that. The country is going to gain. So in terms of revenue or in terms of income, that is how Ghana is going to benefit,” Dr. Sunkari explains.

In the quest to develop this resource, he advocates for international collaboration, especially from Russia, in the areas of funding for research and development.

“If we have funding from Russia, we the researchers, together with researchers from the Geological Survey Authority, will take it to another level. Then we can better inform the populace and the citizenry and the global community that yes, what we have actually gotten can be mined for profit. And then perhaps maybe a Russian company or any other company could bid for it. And if they are coming to terms with the government, the government can give them the permission to do the mining,” he stresses.

Sharing his vision for the commodity trading market, he calls on the African Union to create a framework that determines how much Africa should trade its resources.

“I support the idea. As Africans with our resources [on] our continent, we should be able to determine how much we sell our resources. We shouldn't seat [and wait] for Western countries to come and determine how much they are buying our resource, and it becomes unified for everywhere. So we are charging the African Union to come up with our stock exchange for the various commodities,” Dr. Sunkari advocates.

To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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