December 2024: Aluminium industry at a glance to guide your 2025 planning

The year 2025 has begun, and along with it, a lot of speculations and anticipations for the global aluminium industry's headway as the metal is furthering towards becoming one of the most widely used components in various industrial sectors while at the same time navigating many challenges and also adapting to sustainability initiatives and the circular economy. Especially after a year of tight raw material supply, enthusiastic volume of primary aluminium production, increasing demand, and numerous efforts across the value chain aimed at net-zero emission goals, it is inevitable to have a spirit of inquiry. This article, containing a comprehensive overview of the key events and updates from December 2024, will help you understand the industry's current position.

Ghana’s bauxite mining progress

Ghana, one of the world's largest bauxite-producing countries but which has been suffering from floods causing raw material supply chain constraints for alumina production, is prioritising the enhancement of mining. In early December 2024, Presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama from the National Democratic Congress (Ghana) assured the residents of Nyinahin a development in the indigenous bauxite mining to create local jobs and drive national economic growth.

He said, "We will engage with the chiefs regarding the construction of a railway from Takoradi to Nyinahin to facilitate the easy transportation of bauxite. Additionally, we will construct a factory for aluminium production to create more jobs for the youth."

Ashanti Bauxite Limited, a joint venture between the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and Rocksure International Limited, already announced ambitious plans to develop a bauxite mine with an integrated refinery in the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso area of the Ashanti Region, which will boost production and expand the availability of the ore, while at the same time support local employment.