The top 5 primary Aluminium producers of Africa

Africa is one of the largest producers of aluminium ore BAUXITE.  African nation Guinea stands as the world’s highest exporter of bauxite and ranks at number two in bauxite production. The other African countries producing bauxite are Ghana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, etc.

Although having a huge amount of bauxite deposits in Africa, the region remains deprived in the production of aluminium due to irregular power supply, obstruction in financial investments and modernization, unstable political scenario and lack of professionalism. There are multiple numbers of aluminium smelter scattered all around the continent, but most of the smelters failed to reach its actual production capacity and few also took steps to close down like Bayside Aluminium in South Africa and Alscon in Nigeria.

The top 5 primary aluminium producers of Africa are:

1. HILLSIDE ALUMINIUM
2. MOZAL ALUMINIUM
3. EGYPTALUM
4. VALCO
5. ALUCAM

Africa produced some 1.64 million tonnes of aluminium in 2019. In the past decade, African production of aluminium has remained relatively stable, ranging from a production low of 1.64 million tonnes in 2012 to a high of 1.81 million tonnes in 2013.

HILLSIDE ALUMINIUM (South Africa)

Hillside Aluminium has played a key role in South Africa’s aluminium industry for more than 20 years.

The aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal about 180 kilometres north of Durban, produces high-quality, primary aluminium for export markets.

A portion of liquid metal is supplied to Isizinda Aluminium, to support the development of the downstream aluminium industry in South Africa and which in turn supplies aluminium slab to Hulamin, a local company that produces products for the domestic and export markets.

The smelter uses alumina predominantly imported from Worsley Alumina in Australia to produce high-quality, primary aluminium. Hillside’s production capacity is around 720,000 tonnes a year makes it the largest producer of primary aluminium in the southern hemisphere.

MOZAL ALUMINIUM (Mozambique)

Mozal Aluminium is the largest industrial employer in Mozambique, a Southern African nation, making a significant contribution to the local economy.  The aluminium smelter is situated just 20 kilometres west of Mozambique’s capital city, Maputo.

The smelter was the largest private investment in the country and the first large, direct foreign investment of $ 2 billion, helping to rebuild Mozambique after a period of unrest.

South32 owns 47.10% of Mozal Aluminium, while Mitsubishi Corporation Metals Holding GmbH holds 25%, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited owns 24% and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique holds 3.90% through preference shares.

The smelter was initially commissioned to produce 250,000 tonnes per annum, followed by an extension in 2003-04, and it is now the largest aluminium producer in Mozambique and the second-largest in Africa having a total annual production of around 580,000 tonnes. It is responsible for 30% of the country’s official exports and also uses 45% of the electricity produced in Mozambique.

Mozal has also started supplying to Mozambique’s first downstream aluminium business and the development of this downstream industry will boost the local economy.

EGYPTALUM (Egypt)

Egypt Aluminum Company (Egyptalum) lies 100 kilometres north of the city of Luxor. Egyptalum is the largest aluminium producer in Egypt and one of the largest in Africa has a total annual production capacity of 320,000 tonnes. The company is supplied with the electric energy it needs from the Aswan High Dam.

The relentless pursuit of reaching the highest levels of quality and keeping pace with every development in the aluminium industry in which the Egyptian Aluminum Company is placed in the ranks of the major international companies specialized in this field through full awareness of concern for workers and human cadres who work with sincerity and dedication, which pushes the company towards continuity and leadership. 

On 25th January 2021, Hisham Tawfik, Minister of Public Business Sector announced that “Egypt’s government is warming up to implement the modernisation project of Egyptalum, a national company for aluminium industries listed in EGX as Egypt Aluminium (EGAL).”

Tawfik also stated: “US-based Bechtel, the project consultant, is expected to finalise the project’s feasibility study by mid-2021.”

Egyptalum is a subsidiary of the Metallurgical Industries Holding Company and both the companies are working under the Ministry of Public Business Sector.

VALCO (Ghana)

Volta Aluminium Company’s (VALCO) aluminium smelter in Ghana is a first-world industrial estate in a developing nation. VALCO has a rated capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes of primary aluminium annually; however, currently, it is operating only 20% of that and to build a facility of this size and capacity today it requires an investment of $1.2 billion.

VALCO is a limited liability company owned by the Government of Ghana and it continues to play a key role in the efforts of the Ghana Government to develop an Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) in Ghana. Utilizing VALCO as the anchor of the IAI Project, Ghana is ready to add value to its over 700 million tonnes of bauxite deposits in the country at Kibi and Nyinahin to generate over $1.05 trillion and create about 2.3 million good and sustainable jobs. A study into the viability of the VALCO Smelter confirmed that VALCO, properly mainstreamed into Ghana's development agenda, will serve as the veritable Anchor of Ghana's Integrated Aluminium Industry.

VALCO is currently the live wire of the downstream aluminium industry in Ghana through metal supplies, with its associated employment benefits. Also, VALCO is being positioned to host an expected growth of the aluminium downstream industry in Ghana.

ALUCAM (Cameroon)

The Cameroonian Aluminum Company, known as Alucam, is an aluminium producing company. It was founded by Péchiney - Ugine. The smelter is located in the city of Edéa, capital of the Sanaga-Maritime department in the Littoral region, 67 km from Douala.

The production capacity of Alucam is around 100,000 annually, but it failed to reach its production target due to the irregular supply of electricity.  

According to the 2020 monetary programming data, Cameroon exported 49,300 tonnes of aluminium, which is produced by Alucam with a unit price of CFA franc 1,096,600 per tonne.

Alucam’s performance in 2020 is down, as compared with the previous year when it produced nearly 52,000 tonnes of aluminium, a drop of 2,700 tonnes between the two phases.