Nana Akwasi Awuah proposes African Gold Producers Association

Nana Akwasi Awuah, former CEO of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), has proposed the creation of an African Gold Producers Association (AGPA) to help the continent maximize economic returns from its mineral wealth.

Awuah suggests that a unified continental alliance would allow gold-producing and refining nations to coordinate efforts, strengthen local value-addition, and protect national economic sovereignty. The proposal follows the recent commissioning of Burkina Faso’s first state-owned gold processing plant, signaling an increase in regional refining capacity.

A major challenge identified is the difficulty African nations face in accessing global bullion markets. Currently, only one facility on the continent holds accreditation from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). Awuah argues that by forming a collective, regional refineries can pool technical capabilities, standardize governance, and jointly negotiate trade access to transform fragmented national efforts into a dominant international force.

As an interim step, Awuah suggested forming an African Gold Refineries Association (AGRA) to bring refineries together before evolving into a broader association of producing countries.