Tarkwa Mine lease: Apinto chiefs push for Ghanaian ownership, community participation

The Apinto Traditional Council says the era where communities bear the environmental and social costs of mining while receiving limited benefits must end.

At a high-powered press conference in Tarkwa, the Council declared its support for calls for a Ghanaian-owned mining operation to take over the Tarkwa Mine, currently operated by Gold Fields Ghana Limited, when discussions on the lease renewal begin.

The Gyasehene of the Apinto Traditional Council, Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III, who addressed the media, said the lease renewal presents Ghana with a historic opportunity to correct decades of imbalance in the mining sector.

The Gyasehene expressed concern over what he described as the devastating impact of mining activities on Apinto’s ancestral lands.

He said a recent tour of the Gold Fields mining concession revealed that about 4,000 hectares of Apinto lands have been degraded through mining activities, affecting farming, livelihoods, and the economic prospects of young people in the area.

According to him, the benefits received by host communities do not reflect the scale of resources extracted from their lands.

He cited challenges including poor road networks, inadequate social infrastructure, and high youth unemployment, arguing that the development interventions from mining companies have fallen short of expectations.

Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III also extended the concerns to other mining operators, including AngloGold Ashanti, insisting that communities hosting mineral resources deserve a more meaningful share of the wealth generated.

The Apinto Traditional Council believes Ghana’s current mining framework has historically sidelined traditional authorities and host communities by vesting ownership of mineral resources solely in the state.

The Council has therefore submitted what it calls the “Apinto Shared Prosperity Proposal” to the government, outlining a new partnership model between the state, mining companies, and host communities.

The proposal, according to the Council, goes beyond corporate social responsibility projects and royalties, demanding greater participation through co-ownership, co-governance, and a fair share of mining revenues.

The Gyasehene is calling on President John Dramani Mahama, Parliament, the Minerals Commission, and stakeholders in the mining industry to give serious consideration to the proposal.

He insists that the renewal of the Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine lease should not be treated as a routine process but must mark the beginning of a new chapter where host communities have a stronger voice in Ghana’s mineral future.

By: Nana Esi Brew Monney

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