(VIDEO) Apinto Chiefs Oppose Renewal of Gold Fields Lease, Demand Ghanaian Ownership of Tarkwa Mine
Apinto Divisional Council submits a proposal to the government calling for a local ownership model as Gold Fields' 30-year lease nears expiration.
- Apinto chiefs oppose extending Gold Fields' Tarkwa lease after 30 years.
- Traditional leaders call for a Ghanaian-owned model with direct community ownership.
- Chiefs cite 4,000+ hectares of degraded farmland and insufficient local development.
The Apinto Divisional Council has formally declared its opposition to renewing Gold Fields Ghana Limited’s mining lease for the Tarkwa Mine, demanding a transition to a Ghanaian-owned operational model when the current agreement expires in 10 months.
Addressing the media, traditional leaders argued that three decades of large-scale extraction have yielded insufficient benefits for local host communities, while leaving over 4,000 hectares of farmland degraded.
Speaking on behalf of the council, Nana Adakwaa Bediako III, Gyasehene of the Apinto Divisional Stool, stated that the country must evolve past total reliance on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and basic royalty payments. He drew a stark comparison between Tarkwa and Johannesburg, South Africa, noting that despite starting major mining operations around the same era, Tarkwa has not seen equivalent structural development.
“Ghana has reached a stage where it must move beyond relying solely on royalties and corporate social responsibility projects,” the council asserted, confirming it has submitted a proposal to the government for a new partnership framework that makes host communities direct stakeholders in mine ownership.
In response, Gold Fields maintains that its long-term investments justify a lease extension, pointing to key infrastructure projects including the 33-kilometer Tarkwa–Damang road, a 500-bed girls’ dormitory at Huni Valley Senior High School, and the newly constructed 10,000-seat TNA Park Stadium.
With the traditional custodians formally objecting to the extension, the final decision now rests with the central government regarding the future of one of the country’s most prominent gold assets.
From Nana Fynn
