Obuasi, Ghana
Obuasi, an underground operation mining to a depth of 1,500m, is located in Ghana’s Ashanti region, approximately 60km south of Kumasi.
Obuasi, an underground operation mining to a depth of 1,500m, is located in Ghana’s Ashanti region, approximately 60km south of Kumasi.
Ownership
100%
Mineral ResERVE
Gold production
All-in sustaining cost
Capital expenditure
Workforce
Overview and locality
Obuasi is an underground operation with the main accesses into the mine consisting of shafts and a single access decline with interlevel development of between 15 and 30m. The Obuasi Deeps Decline, which is situated at the southern end of the mine, is designed to extend to a depth of about 1,500m.
Existing infrastructure includes a 2.4Mtpa processing plant with flotation and bacterial oxidation (BIOX), underground development, hoisting shafts and associated infrastructure, power and water reticulation, office complexes, workshops and company housing estates. Power is supplied to the mine by the Volta River Authority and GridCo.
Phase 3 of the redevelopment project begun in 2019 and is currently underway.
A brief history
- Production at Obuasi started in 1897 and stopped in the last quarter of 2014. Some aspects of the mine continued under limited operational conditions, including the development of the underground decline
- A favourable feasibility study was completed in 2017 and indicated a strong technical and economic case with an anticipated 20-year LOM
- In 2018, approval was received from the AngloGold Ashanti Board to proceed with the project.
- The redevelopment project began in early 2019 and first gold was poured during the fourth quarter of that year:
- Phase 1 of the redevelopment project was completed by end September 2020 and began commercial production on 1 October 2020
- Phase 2, construction and mine development, was completed in 2021 – together with phase 1 this brought capacity to 4,000t a day
- Phase 3 is currently underway to develop the infrastructure necessary to support the planned ramp up in production to 5,000tpd – this is scheduled for completion by end 2024 following delays caused by the need to clear mud encountered at the lower levels
- A trial of underhand drift and fill mining in high-grade areas was initiated in 2023 as this method is better suited to the challenging ground conditions often associated with higher grades at Obuasi.
Related stories
Empowering SMEs for sustainable growth in Obuasi
In a collaborative effort to bolster local economic growth, empowerment, and the promotion of sustainable business development, AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi Mine in Ghana partnered with Absa Bank Ghana Limited, the terms of which were detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Obuasi mine launches ten-year socio-economic development plan
Obuasi mine launched a ten-year socio-economic development plan (SEDP) which encapsulates a clear strategy to ensure Obuasi and its host communities reap sustained benefits.
Anglogold Ashanti Ghana promotes health in the community
In 2021, AngloGold Ashanti held a health outreach day in the Binsere community near its Obuasi mine. The outreach day was a collaboration between AngloGold Ashanti, the AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation and the Obuasi Municipal District and the Obuasi East District Health Directorates.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology opens an Obuasi campus
AngloGold Ashanti has helped to facilitate the development of a satellite Obuasi campus for Ghana’s renowned Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which is headquartered in the city of Kumasi.
Integrated malaria control programme
AGA-Mal sprays over a million structures annually, protecting approximately a million people from malaria, and creates ±1,300 local temporary jobs annually
Obuasi Mine’s Closure Consultative Committee
The key purpose of the Closure Consultative Committee (CCC) is to track the implementation of the mine’s reclamation plan, ensuring that the completion criteria contained in RSA are met.