President Mahama Announces Indigenous Framework for Ghana’s Natural Resource Management

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Ghanaian government will develop and implement an indigenous framework for the management of the nation’s natural resources, signaling a move towards greater national control and participation in the sector.

Addressing attendees at the opening of a four-day Executive Leadership Programme for Ministerial Appointees, President Mahama assured Ghanaians that the country possesses the capacity to effectively manage its resources without excessive dependence on foreign entities.

“In the next few months, we will develop a policy on indigenous participation in our natural resource exploitation,” President Mahama stated on Thursday, April 24, 2025. “We are not going to expropriate anybody’s lease or anything, but if any renewal comes to us, we would want to negotiate and ensure that there is more Ghanaian participation — so that we can also raise the resources to bring prosperity to our people.”

This announcement comes in the wake of a recent dispute involving Gold Fields’ departure from the Damang mine, where the company had operated for nearly three decades under the same license.

The Ghanaian government declined to renew Gold Fields’ mining lease upon its expiration, citing the company’s failure to meet crucial obligations stipulated in the lease agreement, as confirmed by the Minerals Commission.

However, a subsequent compromise has been reached, allowing for a joint management arrangement of the Damang mine between the government and Gold Fields for a period of one year, pending parliamentary ratification.

This interim agreement aims to facilitate a smoother transition and ensure continued operation of the mine while the new indigenous management framework is being developed and implemented. President Mahama’s announcement reflects a strategic shift towards empowering Ghanaian participation in the country’s natural resource sector.