VALCO achieves $1.4m turnaround as 1:4:4 shift system fuels revenue growth

The Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) has successfully turned around its financial situation, returning to profitability with a positive EBITDA of $1.4m (£1.1m) for the first nine months of 2026. This marked a significant recovery from the $13.08m negative EBITDA recorded for the same period in 2025. Total revenue for the period reached $103.85m, a 13% increase from $91.78m generated during the same period in 2025.

Dr. Robert Makila Sambian, VALCO's Chief Executive Officer, presented these financial results during a Progress Series hosted by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on November 3, 2026. Dr. Sambian credited the recovery to the successful operation of VALCO's first value-addition facility - the Continuous Casting and Rolling (CCR) Electrical Grade Rod Mill.

This facility processes primary liquid aluminium into high-grade electrical rods for domestic industrial use and export to Europe, in alignment with President John Dramani Mahama's agenda on national value addition. To maintain 24-hour production at the CCR plant, VALCO implemented a 1:4:4 shift system. This system, where four personnel rotate through four shifts, ensures uninterrupted production, maximizes output, reduces worker fatigue, and expands employment opportunities.

As a result, VALCO's workforce grew to 848 employees by October 2026 from 785 in December 2025. The company projects that full potline restoration, coupled with downstream expansion, will increase direct employment to 1,500 and sustain over 6,000 indirect jobs nationwide. Dr. Sambian also highlighted VALCO's expanding market footprint, noting that the company is no longer just an exporter of primary metal but supplies high-grade electrical rods to power Ghana's domestic infrastructure and fulfill export orders for European markets.

This strategic move enhances foreign exchange earnings and supports VALCO's financial recovery. To sustain these revenue streams, VALCO initiated a retooling program, acquiring various equipment and resources including 16 lift trucks, two payloaders, two melting furnaces, a centrifuge system, mobile crushing equipment, cranes, natural gas piping infrastructure, and 5,000 metric tonnes of imported carbon anodes.

This strategy has helped VALCO stabilize plant operations, with 98 active reduction cells online as of October 2026, bringing the company closer to long-term profitability.