The Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku, has launched a petition urging President John Dramani Mahama not to renew Gold Fields’ Tarkwa mining lease, arguing that Ghana’s vast mineral wealth has not translated into broad-based economic opportunities for citizens.
The petition comes at a time when the South African mining company is seeking a 20-year renewal of its lease with the government, with its current agreement set to expire in 2027. Gold Fields has operated in Ghana for about three decades.
If approved, the extension would allow the company to continue operations at the Tarkwa mine until 2047.
The Mpraeso MP, who is opposed to the renewal, said in a Facebook post on Friday, May 29, 2026: “I have launched a petition calling on President John Dramani Mahama not to renew the Gold Fields Tarkwa mining lease.”
He argued that despite decades of gold exports, Ghana has not derived sufficient benefit in terms of jobs and national prosperity, citing continued labour migration and recent job losses among returning migrants.
“For decades, Ghana has exported gold worth billions of dollars, yet many of our young people continue to leave the country in search of opportunity. Today, some of our fellow citizens are returning home from South Africa after losing jobs, businesses, and livelihoods they spent years building,” he said.
Davis Ansah Opoku questioned the disparity between Ghana’s mineral wealth and the economic conditions faced by its youth.
“If Ghana is blessed with so much gold, why are so many Ghanaians still searching for prosperity elsewhere?” he said.
He added that the petition reflects a broader push for greater national control over natural resources to ensure they generate local wealth and employment.
“I believe the time has come for Ghana to take greater control of its economic destiny and ensure that our natural resources create wealth, jobs, and opportunities for our own people,” he said.
He further called on the public to support the petition, framing it as a patriotic effort to prioritise national benefit from resource governance.
“If you believe Ghana’s gold must do more for Ghanaians, I invite you to sign and share this petition. Our Gold. Our Future. Ghana First,” he said.
