Nine state institutions with oversight responsibilities across Ghana’s extractive sector convened in Accra on Friday, May 8, to relaunch a dormant inter-agency committee charged with closing the gap between mineral production and royalties actually paid to the state.
The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) led the revival of the committee, whose members include the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Minerals Commission, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), GoldBod, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
The committee is chaired by the Acting Commissioner of the GRA’s Domestic Tax Revenue Division, Dr. Martin Yamborigya. The inaugural meeting of the reconstituted body took place at MIIF’s boardroom in Accra.
MIIF Chief Executive Officer Justina Nelson said the revival became necessary after a period of institutional inactivity created coordination gaps that left the state exposed. She pointed specifically to undeclared production, royalty leakages and weak regulatory oversight in segments of the small-scale mining sector as the core problems the committee must address.
The timing carries particular weight. Ghana recently replaced its flat five percent gold royalty rate with a price-linked sliding scale, with royalties potentially reaching 12 percent as gold prices climb, and gold is currently trading above $5,000 per ounce, making unmonitored production more costly to the state than at any point in recent history. Nelson confirmed that the royalty reform, combined with strong commodity prices, is expected to significantly improve inflows to the state, provided enforcement keeps pace.
Dr. Yamborigya acknowledged that the monitoring challenge extends well beyond large-scale gold operations. He cited quarrying, salt production and other mineral activities as sectors that have historically received limited oversight attention. MIIF and GRA monitoring programs have previously uncovered quarry companies understating production revenues, with energy consumption data used to detect discrepancies between declared output and actual activity.
The committee reviewed draft terms of reference at its inaugural session and agreed to develop a comprehensive database of mining operators and mineral rights holders. Members discussed cost-sharing arrangements to fund field inspections and committed to meeting monthly to sustain oversight momentum.
MIIF recorded total mineral royalty inflows of GH₵5.43 billion in 2025, its highest annual figure since establishment, with CEO Nelson disclosing that first-quarter 2026 collections already exceeded the corresponding period in 2025. The committee’s mandate is to defend and build on that performance by ensuring all eligible operations contribute appropriately.
