Wassa chiefs push for state ownership of Tarkwa Gold Mine as Gold Fields’ leases near expiry

Chiefs in the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area have called on President John Dramani Mahama to bring the Tarkwa Gold Mine under state ownership when Gold Fields Ghana Limited’s mining leases expire in April 2027. The government currently holds a 10 per cent stake in the mine, while Gold Fields holds 90 per cent.

The chiefs made the call at a general meeting of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. They said decades of mining had brought too few benefits to host communities, citing poor roads, limited investment in local infrastructure and delays in the payment of royalties.

The Apinto Divisional Council, within whose jurisdiction the mine is located, has separately petitioned the government against renewing Gold Fields’ leases. Its petition calls for the concession to go to a Ghanaian investor capable of running the mine and investing in the surrounding communities.

The Queen Mother of the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Nana Abena Konadwoa II, told the meeting that repeated appeals for help to improve roads and other infrastructure had gone unanswered. She argued that Gold Fields’ spending on community projects fell short given the scale of its operations.

She referred to the company’s profits in 2025 and the first half of 2026 as she questioned how much it had contributed through royalties and community projects. She gave no specific figures at the meeting.

Nana Abena Konadwoa II also pointed to road and hospital projects, an astroturf pitch and an airport project in the Damang area following the transfer of the Damang mine to Ghanaian ownership. She said those projects illustrated the kinds of investment communities around Tarkwa want to see.

Nana Adu Panyin of the Apinto Divisional Council raised concerns about delays in royalty payments. The Traditional Council’s registrar said the money had been deposited into an account and would be released once an ongoing land dispute was resolved.

Tarkwa is one of Ghana’s major gold-producing mines. Its five mining leases, dated April 18, 1997, cover about 20,825 hectares. The mine operates four large open pits and has a plant capable of processing about 13.5 million tonnes of ore a year.

Mining at Tarkwa dates back to the 1930s. Gold Fields began managing the operation in 1993 under an agreement with the government and completed the first phase of open-pit development in 1998. Underground operations ended the following year as open-pit mining expanded.

Gold Fields increased its stake to 90 per cent in 2011 after acquiring IAMGold’s 18.9 per cent interest. With the leases nearing expiry, the Wassa Fiase chiefs are asking the government to take ownership and give greater priority to the development needs of communities around the mine.