The Governing Board of the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) has pledged its support to the Company’s vision of boosting its production capacity to transform Ghana’s economy.
Board Chairman, Horace Nii Ayi Ankrah, says increasing VALCO’s capacity aligns with the government’s transformational agenda, and they are on track to help the management achieve it.
Speaking after a plant tour with other Board members on Monday, January 5, 2026, Ankrah expressed enthusiasm about the developments, which he says could revive Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for setting up the company some decades ago.
“The Board is very happy about the tour. Today, some of us have been enlightened about a vision in the 60s. I think you’ve heard the CEO on where we were, where we are now and where we are going,” he said.
He added, “So, the Board is so pleased with today’s tour, we are so pleased with where we have been placed, we know the President’s vision, we know what is good for VALCO, we know what VALCO can do for the industry –employment –etc. We as a Board, we are here to govern, we’ll make sure that we are not managing, but assisting VALCO to making sure that they get to where they want to get to and especially, aligning with the President’s vision.”
The CEO, Dr. Robert Makila Sambian, had earlier explained plans to increase production capacity from 23 per cent to 40 per cent.
According to him, VALCO has operated at 23 per cent capacity for the past decade and a half, but are aiming to hit 40 per cent by close of the year to break-even.
“When we took over early last year, our mandate was to boost capacity – it’s currently below break-even. So we’re targeting 40 per cent from 23 per cent,” he stated.
“When we took over office early last year our charge was to quickly bring the capacity up because where it is at the moment, [it] is below break-even level. So, the aim is to move it from the 23 per cent to 40 per cent,” he stated.
The VALCO plant, established in 1964 and operational since 1967, had an initial production capacity of 200,000 tons of primary aluminium annually.
This capacity was maintained for over three decades until Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Corporation, the largest shareholder, exited in 2005, handing over to the government of Ghana.
However, production had dropped prior to Kaiser’s exit, mainly due to power shortages – a challenge the Ghana government also faced, leading to below-capacity production after the takeover.
With doors open for strategic partnerships, VALCO has taken the initiative to increase capacity of its operations, aiming to boost the nation’s economy after years of dormancy.
‘The wait is over’ – VALCO CEO unveils revival strategy amid expectation for strategic partnership
