Mr Adansi said this at the closure of the three-day GHIB CONVERGE 2025 Conference in London.
The event, held in the City of London from 6-8 August 2025, brought together policymakers, financiers, commodity executives, legal specialists, and development experts from across Africa and the global market to craft actionable strategies for shifting the continent from raw commodity dependence to value-added trade, supported by sustainable finance and integrated infrastructure.

The Conference on the theme: "Rethinking Commodity Finance for Growth" explored the opportunities and structural reforms needed to accelerate Africa's industrialisation, strengthen its trade position, and unlock new sources of revenue.

"We are sitting on untapped billions in export revenues because we continue to export raw cocoa instead of chocolate, raw gold instead of refined bullion, and raw cashew instead of processed kernels," Mr. Adansi said.

He said the financing solutions existed but they required alignment between banks, policymakers, and industry.
He proposed creating dedicated value-addition funds, expanding structured trade finance for processing plants, and promoting risk-sharing arrangements between African and global lenders.

He urged regulatory harmonisation across African economies to enable processed goods to move freely under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Mr Buah Saidy, Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia, "For too long, Africa's commodity wealth has been exported in its rawest form, leaving value and jobs offshore."
He said by investing in domestic refining capacity, building regional value chains, and securing fairer terms of trade, "we can anchor our currencies, strengthen reserves, and create lasting resilience in our economies."

Dr. Zakaria Mumuni, First Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana underscored the Bank's commitment to expanding domestic gold refining capacity and integrating ESG considerations into commodity sector policy.

He highlighted how refining at source could reduce Ghana's dependence on imported refined bullion and provide a hedge against volatility in global markets.

"Ghana's long-term macroeconomic stability depends on our ability to capture more value from the commodities we produce," he said said.

The First Deputy Governor said, "Expanding our domestic gold refining capacity is not just about increasing export revenues; it is about building resilience into our reserves, improving our trade balance, and ensuring that Ghanaians benefit more directly from the resources we own."

Mr Lord Paul Boateng, former UK Cabinet Minister and GHIB Board Member, argued that Africa must treat its commodity resources as geopolitical assets.

"Critical minerals like cocoa and gold are not just export lines in a trade ledger," Mr Boateng said.
He said they were bargaining chips in a changing global order, and Africa must use them to secure technology transfer, infrastructure investment, and sustainable value chains.