Russian aluminium producer Rusal is targeting annual bauxite production of five million metric tonnes in Ghana under a proposed joint venture to mine and process the mineral, in a move that could strengthen the country’s ambitions to develop an integrated aluminium industry.
The company’s Chief Executive, Evgeny Nikitin, disclosed the production target in an interview with Russia’s RIA state news agency following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Thursday.
Under the proposed arrangement, Rusal also intends to establish processing capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes annually.
The agreement was signed with Ghana’s state agency responsible for developing the country’s aluminium industry on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow.
The proposed partnership is expected to bring Russian investment and technical expertise into Ghana’s bauxite sector, particularly in the extraction and processing of the mineral, which serves as the primary raw material for aluminium production.
Rusal, regarded as the world’s largest aluminium producer outside China, already has significant mining interests in Guinea, where it operates the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK), is developing the Dian-Dian deposit and runs the Friguia complex.
The company operates seven bauxite mines globally, including two in Russia.
Its reported bauxite production reached 18.453 million metric tonnes in 2025, with its own mining operations supplying approximately 88 per cent of the requirements of its alumina refineries.
The proposed Ghana venture comes amid efforts to expand the country’s domestic bauxite extraction and processing capacity as part of its broader ambition to develop an integrated aluminium industry rather than rely primarily on exporting raw minerals.
However, the memorandum marks a proposed investment arrangement, with further details on the project’s implementation, financing and operational timeline yet to be established.
