By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE
Global gold trader, India Gold Metaverse (IGM), is courting investment opportunities in the country’s gold value chain, in a bid to explore more sustainable gold sourcing options.
IGM introduces dynamism in the bullion trade by leveraging cutting-edge technological expertise to create and operate robust and scalable online marketplace for the precious yellow metal trade.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 Mining in Motion Summit in Accra, IGM’s Managing Director and CEO, Lamon Rutten, explained that the platform democratizes access to jewelry and bullion, offering consumers greater choice, fair pricing, and enhanced financial freedom.
He said IGM’s long-term strategy includes the financialization of gold, allowing seamless integration between physical gold holdings and financial instruments.
Through an online market place and platform, IGM integrates modern financial practices in line with traditional gold and jewelry systems and offer a comprehensive range of products and services designed to meet the needs of consumers, investors, and traditional jewellers alike.
This approach is to curb the inefficiencies and ensure transparency and accessibility that have long plagued the global gold and jewelry sector.
“Our meticulously planned platform extends customized experience to all stakeholders; be it the bullion dealers, jewelers or consumers of jewelry” he said.
Prospects and commendation
With Ghana being the continent’s top gold producer and the gold sector being a crucial component of the economy, by contributing significantly to GDP and export revenue, Mr Rutten, said it is critically important for Ghana to continue to secure the large and growing India market.
“It is for this reason that we consider the Ghanaian market a viable sustainable option as there are numerous opportunities for growth and partnerships” he noted.
The IGM CEO, indicated that government must further support these efforts and feats, by securing markets with large offtakes, to have a deep impact and enable Ghana to tap into its still-unexploited opportunities to further increase ASM production, adding, “These are the opportunities we offer at IGM.”
Indeed, last year, the gold mining sector in Ghana made a significant contribution to the country’s GDP, with exports reaching US$11.6 billion, a 52.6 percent increase from 2023.
This growth was a key driver of Ghana’s 5.7 percent GDP growth in 2024 as gold accounted for 57 percent of the country’s total export revenue and 56.3 percent of its total receipts.
With small-scale miners contributing some US$5 billion to the sector’s export revenue last year, Mr Rutten commended government for making significant efforts by achieving some degree of success in formalizing the artisanal and small-scale mining sector (ASM).
With the Ghanaian gold sector ecosystem making significant impacts, Mr Rutten noted that key partnerships with the gold ecosystem in India, will strengthen the local market and drive innovative solutions to counter challenges in the industry.
The Mining in Motion Summit
The Mining in Motion Summit 2025, hosted under the auspices of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, in collaboration with the government , ends today , in Accra.
As a premier platform for discussions on responsible mining, sustainability, and the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) across Africa, the summit welcomed key mining nations, including South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Guinea, Tanzania, Senegal, Nigeria, Niger.
Global industry leaders from the UAE, the UK, Switzerland, Canada, China, India, Australia and the US, also participated in the Summit, driving investment and innovation in sustainable mining.