Ghana captures more than 60 percent of its mining revenues through taxes, royalties and state participation, yet the communities hosting extraction operations continue to see limited direct benefits, the Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines has warned.
Ken Ashigbey, speaking on the country’s fiscal mining regime, said the structure includes a 35 percent corporate tax, royalties of up to 12 percent and a 10 percent carried state interest, collectively ensuring substantial government earnings from the sector. “Government takes over 60 percent of the value that comes from mining,” he said.
Despite those earnings, Ashigbey questioned how much of that revenue filters back to host communities and called for structural reforms to close the gap. He renewed calls for a Mineral Revenue Management Act that would ring-fence a portion of mining income for local development, specifically proposing that up to 30 percent of royalties be redirected to affected areas.
He also drew attention to a stark disparity between large-scale and small-scale mining contributions. Large-scale miners produced nearly three million ounces of gold and paid approximately 19 billion cedis in taxes, while the small-scale sector, which accounts for roughly 52 percent of total output, contributed just 0.5 million cedis. Ashigbey described the imbalance as clear evidence that formalising the small-scale sector is an urgent national priority.
Beyond fiscal reform, he argued that Ghana must build value across the broader mining supply chain through local production of inputs and services, joint ventures and stock market listings that deepen Ghanaian ownership. He warned that without a complete rethink of how mining revenues are managed, the country risks extracting finite resources without generating lasting economic gains.
