The Apinto Divisional Council of Tarkaw in the Western Region has called on the government not to renew the mining lease of Gold Fields Ghana Limited for the Tarkwa Mine when it expires in April 2027.
I said that the concession instead be transferred to a Ghanaian-owned mining company.
According to the traditional leaders, such a move would provide Ghana with an opportunity to maximise the benefits of its mineral resources while addressing what they described as years of inadequate development in host communities despite decades of large-scale mining activities.
Speaking on behalf of the Council at a media engagement in Tarkwa, the Gyasehene of the Apinto Divisional Council, Nana Adarkwa Bediako III, said handing over the mine to a Ghanaian-owned company would not only advance the country’s economic interests but also enable traditional authorities and host communities to become genuine partners in the ownership, governance and benefits of the mine.
He noted that multinational mining companies, including Gold Fields Ghana Limited and AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem, had operated in the area for many years, yet their presence had not translated into significant socio-economic development for the communities hosting the mines.
He further claimed that a recent inspection of the Tarkwa Mine revealed that more than 4,000 hectares of Apinto lands had been degraded, affecting the livelihoods of many residents, particularly young people who depended on the land for economic activities.
“We believe that the operations of Gold Fields Ghana Ltd in Tarkwa have been less beneficial to the Apinto communities than they should have been,” Nana Bediako III said.
He said the level of development undertaken by the company did not match the scale of environmental degradation and the socio-economic challenges confronting the area.
He therefor appealed to the government, Parliament, the Minerals Commission and other relevant stakeholders to consider their proposal when deciding the future of the Tarkwa Mine after the current lease expires in 2027.
The Council position he said was grounded in the principles of history, justice, equity and sustainable development
The Council a new shared prosperity model for a planned government-owned mine in Tarkwa, aimed at ensuring that host communities benefit directly from mineral resources.
The council said the proposal was grounded in history, justice, equity and sustainable development, arguing that decades of foreign-dominated mining had not delivered meaningful benefits to local communities.
He said the council had developed what it described as the ‘Apinto Shared Prosperity Proposal’, which would be submitted to the government for consideration.
He added that such a model would allow communities that had borne the negative impacts of mining to become genuine partners in ownership, governance and benefit-sharing.
Responding to a question on whether the council had a preferred company in mind, Nana Bediako underlined that the decision on lease renewal rested solely with the government.
He clarified that the council’s position was not an attack on Gold Fields, acknowledging that the company had made some contributions.
Touching on history, Nana Bediako emphasised that the Wassa Fiase people were originally the owners, regulators and beneficiaries of gold mining until colonial laws transferred control of mineral resources from traditional authorities to the state.
He said while the council supported responsible mining and investment, the next phase of mining in Ghana must go beyond royalties and corporate social responsibility.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TARKWA
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