The Obuasi Gold Mine is an underground gold mine situated near Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It was at one time one of the world's ten largest gold mines. The mine is in Obuasi Municipal District, southwest of the regional capital Kumasi.
The mine began operations in 1897. It was renamed AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited in 2004.
In 2008, AngloGold Ashanti's Ashantiland operations, consisting of Obuasi and the Iduapriem Gold Mine, contributed 11% to the company's annual production. At its temporary closure in 2014 Obuasi had past gold production plus current resource of 62 million troy ounces.
History There is a long history of mining in the area, with mining from the Ashanti region providing the gold for which the Gold Coast got its name. Large scale commercial and industrial mining began at Obuasi in 1897 with the formation of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.Obuasi Gold Mine, Ghana ayiajavon.com, accessed: 9 August 2010
In 2004, Ashanti Goldfields merged with AngloGold to form AngloGold Ashanti. Following significant losses, mining activities were halted in late 2014, with over 5,000 employees laid off and the mine placed in care and maintenance. During this time a large security force remained on site due to heavy pressure from local illegal miners. In 2016 an Obuasi employee was killed by a mob of illegal miners.Future of Obuasi There are a number of links on this page to history and news. Accessed April 12, 2016
In 2018, after approvals were received from the Ghanaian Government, the decision was taken to recapitalize the Obuasi gold mine, with work beginning in 2019. The newly mechanized mine commenced commercial production on October 1, 2020, with its first gold pour in December 2019. It is expected to be fully operational in 2022.
On 18 January 2025, between seven to nine people were shot dead by soldiers in disputed circumstances at the mine. The army said that it had killed seven illegal miners following clashes, while a small-scale miners' association said that the nine victims were unarmed.
Production Production figures of the recent past were: Year Production(troy ounces) Grade(g/t) Cash Cost(US$ per ounce) 2002Ashanti Annual Report 2003 accessed: 10 August 2010 537,219 4.84 198 2003 513,163 4.28 217 2004Annual Report 2005 AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 9 August 2010 255,000 5.27 305 2005 391,000 4.77 345 2006Annual Report 2006 AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 9 August 2010 387,000 4.39 395 2007 360,000 4.43 459 2008 357,000 4.37 633 2009 381,000 5.18 630 2010 317,000 5.16 744 2011 313,000 4.82 862 2012 280,000 4.79 1,187 2013 239,000 4.94 1,406 2014 243,000 4.67 1,086 2019 2,000 2020 127,000 6.47 1,145 The 2004 results are for the eight months from May to December only The 2019 results are from the December startup only
See also Geology of Ghana Birimian Gyimi River
References
External links AngloGold Ashanti website Obuasi mine (GHA-00013) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website