Ghana’s government has assured mining investors of a stable and predictable environment, urging them to ignore speculation, as debate intensifies over Gold Fields’ Tarkwa lease renewal in 2027.
Speaking at the 19th West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX) in Accra, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah told industry stakeholders to stay focused and not be discouraged by what he called the “noise” around the sector. He reaffirmed that government remains committed to fiscal and legal certainty for investment.
“So forget about all the noise you’re hearing,” the Minister said, framing the reassurance as official policy direction.
Buah did not name Gold Fields or the Tarkwa controversy directly. Even so, observers have read his emphasis on predictability and transparency as a signal of where government may be leaning ahead of one of Ghana’s most closely watched mining decisions.
The South African miner’s lease over Tarkwa, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest open pit gold operations, expires in 2027. The mine produced roughly 427,000 ounces of gold in 2025. Government has said it intends to renew the lease but will not do so automatically, requiring Gold Fields to first show local value creation, technology transfer, and community development commitments. Minerals Commission Chief Executive Isaac Andrews Tandoh said renewals would no longer be “business as usual.”
A campaign among sections of the public has urged government to withhold the renewal, arguing Ghana should retain a larger share of revenue from one of its most valuable assets. Industry players counter that any decision seen as arbitrary could shake investor confidence at a time of intense global competition for mining capital.
Buah has separately stressed that Ghana is not pursuing blanket nationalisation, but rather partnerships that build local capacity. The lease debate has become a wider test of how the country balances resource nationalism against its standing as a mining destination, with every official statement now scrutinised for clues on the outcome.
