The Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) has returned to profitability, recording a positive Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of US$1.4 million for the first nine months of 2026.
The improved performance has been attributed to increased revenue from value-added aluminium production and the introduction of an expanded 1:4:4 shift system to support continuous operations at the company’s new processing facility.
VALCO’s revenue for the period ending September 30, 2026, increased by 13 per cent to US$103.85 million, compared with US$91.78 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
The figures were disclosed by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Robert Makila Sambian, at the Progress Series organised by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on November 3, 2026, to highlight developments in Ghana’s industrial sector.
Dr Sambian said the improved financial performance was largely driven by the commercial operations of VALCO’s first value-addition facility, the Continuous Casting and Rolling (CCR) Electrical Grade Rod Mill.
The facility processes primary liquid aluminium into high-grade electrical rods for domestic industrial use and export to European markets, supporting efforts to increase local value addition.
According to the CEO, the facility has improved production continuity and increased output, while the expanded shift arrangement has helped reduce worker fatigue and create additional employment opportunities.
He described the 1:4:4 shift system as central to maintaining uninterrupted production at the continuous casting facility.
“The 1:4:4 shift system is an important operational model that underpins our operational continuity and financial performance.
Operating a continuous casting process requires non-stop precision.
Assigning four dedicated workers to every role across four rotating shifts allows us to maintain uninterrupted production, maximise output, eliminate worker fatigue, and directly expand employment opportunities,” he said.
The increase in production has also contributed to the expansion of VALCO’s workforce, which grew from 785 employees in December 2025 to 848 by October 2026.
Dr Sambian said the company expected that restoring its full potlines and expanding downstream operations would increase direct employment to 1,500 while sustaining more than 6,000 indirect jobs nationwide.
He also highlighted the company’s growing presence in domestic and international markets, noting that the production of electrical-grade rods had expanded its commercial activities beyond the export of primary aluminium.
“VALCO is no longer merely an exporter of primary metal; we are supplying high-grade electrical rods to power Ghana’s domestic infrastructure while fulfilling export orders for European markets.
This commercial strategy strengthens our foreign exchange earnings and underpins our financial recovery,” he said.
To sustain the improved performance, VALCO has embarked on a retooling programme involving the acquisition of 16 lift trucks, two payloaders, two melting furnaces, a centrifuge system, mobile crushing equipment, cranes and natural gas piping infrastructure.
The company has also secured 5,000 metric tonnes of imported carbon anodes to support the expansion of its reduction cells towards a target of 150 units.
With plant operations stabilised, VALCO says it is on course to end October 2026 with 98 active reduction cells as it works towards consolidating its recovery and achieving long-term profitability.
