The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), Dr. Robert Makila Sambian, has announced plans that could result in the state-owned company creating approximately 5,000 direct jobs and contributing over 1% to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The announcement was made during a media tour of the smelter’s facilities in Tema, where Sambian, accompanied by the board and management, outlined a two-phased strategy to rescue the company from decades of underperformance and position it as a cornerstone of national industrialisation.

Mr Sambian revealed that when the current management took office in January 2025, VALCO was operating at a low 23% capacity, a level he described as “below breakeven.”

The plant, originally designed to produce 200,000 tonnes of primary aluminium annually, has languished at this reduced capacity for over 15 years, primarily due to power challenges following the exit of its American owners in 2005.

“Our charge was to bring the capacity up quickly. Immediate interventions have included the injection of 16 lift trucks, 2 payloaders, tractors, dump trucks, and new melting furnaces.

These efforts have already increased operational potlines from 114 to 122 cells, with a target of reaching 150 by the close of 2025,” Sambian said

According to the CEO, the short-term strategy rests on four key projects:

1.  Ramping up production to fully utilise two potlines (200 cells).

2.  Value addition, moving beyond exporting primary aluminium.

3.  Converting from residual fuel oil to natural gas to reduce costs.

4.  Installing scrubbers to capture and re-use fluoride, improving environmental sustainability.

The centrepiece of this initial phase is the newly installed value-added production line, which has begun test-producing electrical conductor-grade rods.

For the first time since its establishment in the 1960s, VALCO will not just export raw aluminium but manufacture finished products.

Samples are already being sent to Europe for certification, after which President John Mahama will be invited to open the facility.

“This is a transformation of the business model; the value of the product lies here,” Sambian said

While securing the existing operation is the immediate goal, Sambian disclosed further vision.

This involves either modernising the plant’s three remaining idle potlines or constructing a state-of-the-art greenfield facility. This expansion would be integrated with backward linkages, including a bauxite refinery to process Ghana’s abundant raw materials, using locally sourced salt (for caustic soda) and lime.

It is this larger project that promises economic impact, including direct employment of about 5,000 jobs, an estimated indirect employment of 20,000 jobs (a factor of four), projected annual revenue to exceed $1 billion, and expected to contribute a GDP of over 1% per annum.

Mr Sambian added that this will be an economic stimulant and the anchor around Ghana’s industrialisation agenda.

Sambian attributed the new momentum to a shift in mindset.

“Over the years, we have been in a state of waiting as a plant for external help… When we came into office, we took the decision that the wait is over,” he added.

He aligned VALCO’s revival with the President’s “reset agenda,” stating, “The President is in a hurry to transform the country, and we didn’t want to be left behind.”

With the foundational work laid in the past eight months, progress he claims hasn’t been seen in 15 years.

VALCO’s leadership asserts the company is now on a firm footing for a turnaround, with the goal to move from loss-making to profitability and, ultimately, to becoming an engine of Ghana’s industrial economy.