Since the days when it was then called the Gold Coast, Ghana has been known for having deposits of four (4) minerals in commercial quantities: Gold, Bauxite, Diamonds, and Manganese. Limited information was available for the commercial potential of other minerals like Iron. As reported by the Ghana Geological Survey Department, important discoveries were made in relation to the commercial potential of Iron Ore deposits in Ghana in the early 1900s.

The first discovery was made in 1929 in Shieni, a mountainous area located in the Northern Region of Ghana, bordering Togo. The deposit was at first traced at intervals south of the Mosla River, a tributary of the Oti River. Geological Survey commenced in 1952 to 1957. The results of the studies were published in 1958 – 1962 and in 1965, the Soviet Geological Survey Team also carried out extensive drilling of the deposits accompanied by further geological mapping and ore estimation.

The second discovery of Iron in Ghana with commercial potential was on the top of the hills separating the OponValley and the Mansi Valley. The Opon-Mansi lateritic Iron deposits were discovered by B.N.F. Hunt, a Geologist, in a survey carried out in 1963. During the period 1963 – 1964, preliminary surveys of the deposits were carried out which revealed the existence of hard lateritic iron ore capping ranging from 3,105 meters in thickness, on top of most of the hills within the range. Also, in April 1965, the Soviet Geological Survey Team started a more detailed evaluation of the deposits with large-scale topographic mapping, trenching, pit drilling, and sample collection. However, the survey could not be completed because the Soviet Team was asked to leave the country in February 1966 after the coup.