NeuroRaptor/Gold-Trade-Africa

# Gold Trade Africa – Ghana & South Africa ## 📌 Project Overview This project analyzes the **gold trade from Ghana and South Africa (2017–2023)** to understand the factors influencing **gold prices, trade volumes, and global market trends**. The study uses **data science and business analytics** to assess how **economic patterns, geopolitical events, and trade relationships** affect the gold market. This work was developed as part of the **Data Science and Business (PS24)** course at the **University of Europe for Applied Sciences**. --- ## 👥 Authors - Joaquin Jose Mancheno Palacios (97628277) - Vamsinath Reddy Koduru (40734986) - Thilak Raju Sampath Kumar (40359170) - Ravi Talari (78215007) - Viviane Da Silva Cristino (77846627) - Arpit Amborkar (47483065) - Prajwal Tamang (92305354) - Srihari Gunti (61180160) --- ## 🎯 Objectives - Track **gold price trends** (2017–2023). - Analyze **trade volumes and values** for Ghana and South Africa. - Compare **BRICS vs Non-BRICS gold trade**. - Identify **seasonal and yearly fluctuations** in gold exports. - Forecast **future gold price movements (2023–2028)**. - Provide **insights for policymakers, investors, and researchers**. --- ## 📊 Methodology 1. **Data Collection** – UN Comtrade dataset (2017–2023). 2. **Data Cleaning** – Removed duplicates, corrected missing entries, standardized categories. 3. **Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)** – Conducted in **Power BI** and **Power Query**. 4. **Comparative Study** – Ghana vs South Africa; BRICS vs Non-BRICS. 5. **Forecasting** – Predicted gold prices up to **2028** based on historical data and global factors. --- ## 📈 Key Findings - **Gold Price Growth**: Increased **54.27%** from $44.4K/kg (2017) → $68.5K/kg (2023). - **Crisis Impact**: Major spikes linked to **COVID-19** and the **Russia–Ukraine war**. - **Trade Dynamics**: - Ghana’s trade value showed **steady growth** (best year: 2023, $27T). - South Africa was **more volatile** (best year: 2021, $26T). - **Export V …