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Ghana’s only integrated aluminium smelter, the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), has unveiled an ambitious recovery and expansion roadmap designed to restore operational capacity, deepen value addition, and reposition the company as a critical pillar of Ghana’s industrial transformation.
During a working tour of the facility, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Hon. Dr. Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, reaffirmed Government’s commitment to safeguarding the operational health, worker welfare, and long-term sustainability of the plant.
“VALCO is a strategic national asset,” the Minister emphasized. “With the necessary government support to address key challenges, particularly energy supply, we are confident the company can reclaim its place at the forefront of Ghana’s industrial growth.”
He underscored the broader economic significance of industrial revitalization, noting that renewed productivity at VALCO aligns with national efforts to consolidate macroeconomic stability and strengthen Ghana’s competitive standing within Africa. The Minister further stressed that transparency, prudent financial management, and accountable leadership remain indispensable in protecting state-owned enterprises and preserving public resources.
Providing an operational update, Acting Chief Executive Officer of VALCO, Dr. Robert Makila Sambian, disclosed that since the commencement of the company’s reset agenda, potline capacity has increased from approximately 114 active cells at takeover to about 152 currently, despite intermittent technical setbacks. The company projects an increase in overall capacity utilization from 23 percent to 40 percent by 2027.
Dr. Sambian revealed that additional retooling equipment is being manufactured abroad, with several consignments already en route to Ghana. The medium-term objective is to restore full potline operations and strategically position the plant for sustained expansion. “This year, we expect to stabilize at about 150 active pots before year-end, leaving roughly 50 more to achieve full restoration by 2027,” he explained.
He further disclosed that when the current administration assumed office, the plant was heavily dependent on rented heavy-duty equipment for core operations, a model he described as financially unsustainable. In response, management has procured critical logistics and operational machinery, including new lift trucks, payloaders, dump trucks, melting furnaces, and centrifuge systems. These capital investments, unprecedented in the plant’s recent history, are expected to enhance operational efficiency while significantly reducing long-term costs.
With retooling advancing steadily and production gradually scaling up, VALCO’s leadership remains confident that the foundation for sustainable recovery has been firmly established.
“We have prepared the plant for the next phase of growth,” Dr. Sambian concluded. “The foundation today is stronger than it has been in decades.”
Source: Public Affairs Unit, MLJE