Ghana is ramping up efforts to enhance local content participation in the mining industry, aiming to maximize the beneficiation of its mineral resources. By supporting small-scale miners, promoting local procurement and ensuring international firms hire and train local staff, Ghana is catalyzing employment creation, revenue generation for local businesses and driving GDP growth through the expansion of the mining industry.
The upcoming Mining in Motion Summit, taking place from 2nd – 4th June 2025, in Accra, will highlight the role of local mining entities in industry expansion, showcasing the collaboration between the government and international partners to accelerate economic growth through increased local participation.
Ghana’s commitment to local involvement is yielding substantial results, with the small-scale gold mining sector employing one million people, indirectly supporting 4.5 million more and generating over US$5 billion in export revenue in 2024 alone.
To further empower local players, the government has introduced key policy reforms and a series of financing and skills training programs. In January 2025, Ghana announced the establishment of the Gold Board, set to launch in March 2025, which will consolidate gold output from small-scale and industrial mining projects for international exports. The initiative aims to streamline gold commercialization for small-scale miners while enabling them to secure funding through certificates of gold sales.
In August 2024, Ghana also unveiled plans for a Cooperative Mining Policy designed to establish community mining cooperatives. The cooperatives will provide training, register miners and issue concessions, fostering job creation and formalizing the sector.
In parallel, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources secured World Bank funding in April 2024, to implement the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project. The project seeks to enhance the formalization of small-scale mining operations through District Mining Committees. Furthermore, the Minerals and Mining (Local Content & Local Participation) Regulations, 2020, require international firms to procure Ghanaian goods and services in their operations, enhancing the participation of local firms in project development and maintenance.
With several large-scale projects underway, including Goldstone’s Homase Mine, Atlantic Lithium’s Ewoyaa Project, the Cardinal Namdini Gold Mine and Newmont’s Ahafo North Project, the policy continues to strengthen local content participation in Ghana’s mining sector.
Amidst these developments, the Mining in Motion Summit will serve as a platform for high-level discussions and networking, addressing key trends and advancements in local content development within Ghana’s mining industry.
