Digging Deep’s Post

Understanding the dynamics of gold production in Africa requires a closer look at emerging markets. While the focus often shifts to larger players like South Africa, it's important to highlight that Sudan has emerged as a major force in the gold industry, countries like Sudan are playing increasingly important roles, with investments in infrastructure and refineries further boosting their production capabilities. As we see shifts in global demand and supply chains, the strategic positioning of these nations becomes even more critical. Africa’s gold industry is evolving, and it's fascinating to observe how countries like Sudan are influencing the market. #GoldProduction #Africa #Mining #Sudan #NaturalResources #GoldRefineries

In 2020, Ghana had enough gold refinery projects in the pipeline to be adjudged sub-Saharan Africa's biggest gold refining hub outside South Africa. This was of course entirely in line with its status as Africa's largest gold producer. Why then do Ghanaians, their leaders and the general public alike, feel that "value addition" is still a distant prospect? The answer lies in unravelling an old confusion about the link between the tangible and the intangible in "value chain transformation". Often, the intangible is lost in our analysis. You would hear that Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa but receives less than 3% of chocolate sales. The focus here is entirely on the tangible: cocoa beans. Not the intangibles: branding, marketing, research & development, narrative-building, even country-image (SWISS chocolate, mon ami?) Hence why many cocoa processing plants have struggled to make a dent in Ghana's cocoa value addition burden. In pure arithmetic terms, Ghana's cocoa processing capacity (over 500,000 tonnes per annum) has outstripped Ghana's raw cocoa output in the latest farming year (~450,000 tonnes). Yet, most processors have historically struggled with profitability. Just as most of Ghana's large gold refineries have. Some have been completely idle for years. The challenge, of course, is that cocoa "processing" has been heavy in those categories where tangibles dominate, like powders, butter, oil etc. True cocoa value chain transformation, however, requires a massive complementary upgrade in the intangibles aspect to produce brands and inspirations in the chocolatier's and confectioner's arts & crafts. Same for gold. Jewellery, electric circuitry, dentistry components, aerotech - those are the contexts where gold finds its highest value expression. A nation must create value chain linkages to them, wherever they may be, not because it has gold, but because it *understands* them. Insight is the ultimate intangible. Contexts full of intangible domains like R&D, "creative expression", long-term training, and "country image building". Contexts that are so hard for conventional politicians to grasp and grapple with. Contexts which only genuine leadership across multiple segments of society can advance.

In 2020, Ghana had enough gold refinery projects in the pipeline to be adjudged sub-Saharan Africa's biggest gold refining hub outside South Africa. This was of course entirely in line with its status as Africa's largest gold producer. Why then do Ghanaians, their leaders and the general public alike, feel that "value addition" is still a distant prospect? The answer lies in unravelling an old confusion about the link between the tangible and the intangible in "value chain transformation". Often, the intangible is lost in our analysis. You would hear that Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa but receives less than 3% of chocolate sales. The focus here is entirely on the tangible: cocoa beans. Not the intangibles: branding, marketing, research & development, narrative-building, even country-image (SWISS chocolate, mon ami?) Hence why many cocoa processing plants have struggled to make a dent in Ghana's cocoa value addition burden. In pure arithmetic terms, Ghana's cocoa processing capacity (over 500,000 tonnes per annum) has outstripped Ghana's raw cocoa output in the latest farming year (~450,000 tonnes). Yet, most processors have historically struggled with profitability. Just as most of Ghana's large gold refineries have. Some have been completely idle for years. The challenge, of course, is that cocoa "processing" has been heavy in those categories where tangibles dominate, like powders, butter, oil etc. True cocoa value chain transformation, however, requires a massive complementary upgrade in the intangibles aspect to produce brands and inspirations in the chocolatier's and confectioner's arts & crafts. Same for gold. Jewellery, electric circuitry, dentistry components, aerotech - those are the contexts where gold finds its highest value expression. A nation must create value chain linkages to them, wherever they may be, not because it has gold, but because it *understands* them. Insight is the ultimate intangible. Contexts full of intangible domains like R&D, "creative expression", long-term training, and "country image building". Contexts that are so hard for conventional politicians to grasp and grapple with. Contexts which only genuine leadership across multiple segments of society can advance.

Bright Simons writes In 2020, Ghana had enough gold refinery projects in the pipeline to be adjudged sub-Saharan Africa's biggest gold refining hub outside South Africa. This was of course entirely in line with its status as Africa's largest gold producer. Why then do Ghanaians, their leaders and the general public alike, feel that "value addition" is still a distant prospect? The answer lies in unravelling an old confusion about the link between the tangible and the intangible in "value chain transformation". Often, the intangible is lost in our analysis. You would hear that Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa but receives less than 3% of chocolate sales. The focus here is entirely on the tangible: cocoa beans. Not the intangibles: branding, marketing, research & development, narrative-building, even country-image (SWISS chocolate, mon ami?) Hence why many cocoa processing plants have struggled to make a dent in Ghana's cocoa value addition burden. In pure arithmetic terms, Ghana's cocoa processing capacity (over 500,000 tonnes per annum) has outstripped Ghana's raw cocoa output in the latest farming year (~450,000 tonnes). Yet, most processors have historically struggled with profitability. Just as most of Ghana's large gold refineries have. Some have been completely idle for years. The challenge, of course, is that cocoa "processing" has been heavy in those categories where tangibles dominate, like powders, butter, oil etc. True cocoa value chain transformation, however, requires a massive complementary upgrade in the intangibles aspect to produce brands and inspirations in the chocolatier's and confectioner's arts & crafts. Same for gold. Jewellery, electric circuitry, dentistry components, aerotech - those are the contexts where gold finds its highest value expression. A nation must create value chain linkages to them, wherever they may be, not because it has gold, but because it *understands* them. Insight is the ultimate intangible. Contexts full of intangible domains like R&D, "creative expression", long-term training, and "country image building". Contexts that are so hard for conventional politicians to grasp and grapple with. Contexts which only genuine leadership across multiple segments of society can advance.

In 2020, Ghana had enough gold refinery projects in the pipeline to be adjudged sub-Saharan Africa's biggest gold refining hub outside South Africa. This was of course entirely in line with its status as Africa's largest gold producer. Why then do Ghanaians, their leaders and the general public alike, feel that "value addition" is still a distant prospect? The answer lies in unravelling an old confusion about the link between the tangible and the intangible in "value chain transformation". Often, the intangible is lost in our analysis. You would hear that Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa but receives less than 3% of chocolate sales. The focus here is entirely on the tangible: cocoa beans. Not the intangibles: branding, marketing, research & development, narrative-building, even country-image (SWISS chocolate, mon ami?) Hence why many cocoa processing plants have struggled to make a dent in Ghana's cocoa value addition burden. In pure arithmetic terms, Ghana's cocoa processing capacity (over 500,000 tonnes per annum) has outstripped Ghana's raw cocoa output in the latest farming year (~450,000 tonnes). Yet, most processors have historically struggled with profitability. Just as most of Ghana's large gold refineries have. Some have been completely idle for years. The challenge, of course, is that cocoa "processing" has been heavy in those categories where tangibles dominate, like powders, butter, oil etc. True cocoa value chain transformation, however, requires a massive complementary upgrade in the intangibles aspect to produce brands and inspirations in the chocolatier's and confectioner's arts & crafts. Same for gold. Jewellery, electric circuitry, dentistry components, aerotech - those are the contexts where gold finds its highest value expression. A nation must create value chain linkages to them, wherever they may be, not because it has gold, but because it *understands* them. Insight is the ultimate intangible. Contexts full of intangible domains like R&D, "creative expression", long-term training, and "country image building". Contexts that are so hard for conventional politicians to grasp and grapple with. Contexts which only genuine leadership across multiple segments of society can advance.   Credit: Bright Simons  

This is my best learning for today. We have seen value chain transformation only through the tangible. We must take a more holistic view that includes the intangibles. This is highly applicable in value chain transformation to accelerate youth access to economic opportunities within agriculture and the food systems in general.

"This decline is expected to continue, with another 18 per cent drop projected from 2024 to 2030. Instead of increasing steadily each year, from 2010 to 2020 by 2.9 million tonnes, we are now looking at a lower figure of around 1.7 million tonnes." It is understood that when growth rates decrease in the palm oil industry, it can affect profits, jobs and prices. Another long-standing problem for the past 25-30 years is the growing gap between the best and worst palm oil yields. "Yields will remain limited until replanting is sped up," he added. Palm oil's contribution to yearly growth per decade is diminishing, dropping from 47 per cent to a projected 33 per cent. "This will greatly impact the supply," Bek-Nielsen cautioned. https://lnkd.in/gRJZJMAh

☑ How rich is Ghana? While searching for #cocoa beans for some confectionery factories in Belarus, I came across some interesting incidents. I learned that the global cultivation of cocoa beans is concentrated in just a few countries, dominated by Côte di Voire (2,000,000 tons), Ghana (800,000 tons), Indonesia (700,000 tons). The next news was that while I was researching this, the price had doubled, from $5,000 per ton to $10,000. And what’s most interesting, given the growing demand and limited supply, according to experts, the cost in the near future could reach $15,000 per ton. But besides cocoa, Ghana has something else. For example, Ghana (130 tons per year) has become the leader in #gold mining in Africa, even ahead of South Africa. With such growth rates, Ghana will enter the top 5 in the world in gold production, and given the record rise in prices from $2,400 to 3,000 per ounce, this will allow the country’s economy as a whole to achieve a very large amount of income. All this became a great discovery for me and made me look differently at events taking place in the world and the prospects for the development of the #globaleconomy in the future.

One interesting fact about Palm Kernel Oil is its versatility. Aside from its common use in cooking and food production, Palm Kernel Oil is a key ingredient in a wide range of products. It is found in cosmetics, soaps, detergents, candles, and even in biofuels. This multi-faceted oil plays a crucial role in various industries, making it a valuable commodity in the global market. With help of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙘𝙠 mastering the exportation of African Palm Kernel Oil have been made easy, it is an in-depth digital course designed to unlock the lucrative world of global trade in one of Africa's prized commodities. Throughout this course, you will delve into the rich potentials of exporting Palm Kernel Oil from Africa to global markets, uncovering the intricacies of product specifications, paperwork essentials, buyer protocols, pricing strategies, and the vast potential this industry holds. Join us now! let's unlock the global potential of African Palm Kernel Oil. Get started by reaching out to us on WhatSapp:https://lnkd.in/dB3_SDuy giving a clear description on your export plan. #PalmKernelOil

Contrary to popular belief, Dangote is not a MONOPOLY❌ First, let us define a monopoly 🤗 A monopoly occurs when one company has EXCLUSIVE control over a product or service in a specific market, making it nearly impossible for other companies to compete. In layman's terms, MONOPOLY means controlling the entire supply of something. I will highlight three of Dangote's businesses where he has competitors: 👉Dangote Cement: Dangote is Africa's largest cement producer and has a significant market share in Nigeria. However, it is important to note that other players in the Nigerian cement market exist, including Lafarge Africa and BUA Cement. These companies actively compete with Dangote, challenging the notion that he has complete market control. For example, BUA Cement has been aggressively expanding, even surpassing Dangote in some markets.. 👉 Dangote Sugar: Companies like Milan (producer of St. Louis sugar cubes) and Golden Sugar (part of Flour Mills of Nigeria) provide significant competition🧂 👉Dangote Flour: He is not the only one producing flour; Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) and Honeywell Flour Mills are strong competitors.🍩🍪🍪 ⛽ Even Dangote's upcoming refinery will compete with local refineries, international oil companies(IOCs) and imported refined products, so it cannot be considered a MONOPOLY. Aliko Dangote is unquestionably a powerful and influential figure in many Nigerian industries, but the facts show that his companies are not monopolies. They face a lot of competition in my opinion. 👌I will love to hear your opinions in the comments, do you think Dangote is a MONOPOLY or he's just a man that understands business?💯