- Attakumah Takes Over Chamber of Mines With Focus on Growth, Local Value and ESG
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has elected Ing. Frederick Attakumah, Executive Vice President and Country Director of Asante Gold Corporation, as its new President.
He was elected at the Chamber’s 98th Annual General Meeting held in Accra.
Ing. Attakumah succeeds Mr Michael Edem Akafia, Vice President for External Affairs at Gold Fields, who completed his two-year tenure after leading the Chamber through a period of major industry developments and policy engagements.
The Annual General Meeting also ushered in a new leadership team for the Chamber.
Angela D. Attieh, Chief Executive of Nguvu Holdings and former Second Vice President of the Chamber, was elevated to First Vice President, while Danquah Addo-Yobo, Country Manager of Newmont Ghana, was elected Second Vice President.
In his inaugural address, Ing. Attakumah expressed gratitude to members of the Chamber for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to lead with humility, collaboration and commitment to advancing the interests of Ghana’s mining industry.
“I stand before you today with a deep sense of humility and gratitude as I accept the responsibility to serve as President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines,” he said.
He added that he would approach the role with “an open mind, a listening ear, and a commitment to work with all stakeholders in shaping the next chapter of our industry.”
Ing. Attakumah also paid tribute to his predecessor, Mr Akafia, commending him for what he described as exemplary leadership and dedication.
According to him, Mr Akafia’s stewardship helped ensure that the mining industry’s voice remained credible and constructive amid evolving challenges and opportunities.
The new Chamber President outlined three key priorities that will guide his tenure.
The first is growing Ghana’s mining sector.
Ing. Attakumah noted that Ghana currently produces approximately five million ounces of gold annually, but said output could increase to seven million ounces over the next few years if the sector is supported by a stable and competitive policy environment, improved regulatory coordination and continued responsible mining practices.
The second priority is deepening local value creation and advancing industrialisation.
He observed that more than 70.00 percent of the mining sector’s revenue is spent on procuring goods and services.
He called for deliberate efforts to leverage this expenditure to expand local manufacturing capacity and position Ghana as a hub for mining excellence and mining services in West Africa.
This priority is likely to resonate strongly with policy conversations around local content, supplier development and domestic value retention in the mining industry.
Although mining remains one of Ghana’s largest sources of export revenue, the country has long faced questions over how much value is retained locally through procurement, manufacturing, technical services, skills development and community-level economic linkages.
The third priority is strengthening environmental, social and governance leadership, as well as community development.
Ing. Attakumah said the industry must move beyond compliance by partnering with local authorities and traditional leaders to create resilient local economies and sustainable communities that can endure beyond the life of mining operations.
His remarks come at a time when Ghana’s mining sector is under intense public scrutiny over issues including local ownership, environmental protection, illegal mining, lease renewals, fiscal terms and community benefits.
The Chamber’s new leadership will therefore be expected to engage government and other stakeholders on how to sustain investor confidence while ensuring that the country secures greater long-term value from its mineral resources.
Ing. Attakumah reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to constructive engagement with government and other stakeholders to support national development while maintaining a competitive and attractive investment environment for mining.
“The future of mining in Ghana does not rest with any single institution. It rests with all of us,” he said.
He called for greater collaboration to ensure that mining continues to serve as a cornerstone of Ghana’s development and prosperity for generations to come.
Ing. Attakumah brings more than three decades of experience in mine development, operations management, sustainability and corporate affairs.
He has held several senior leadership positions in Ghana’s mining industry, including Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited and Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Asanko Gold Ghana Limited.
Angela D. Attieh, the new First Vice President, is Chief Executive of Nguvu Holdings and brings more than 25 years of experience in finance, administration, mining operations and strategic business growth across Africa.
Danquah Addo-Yobo, the new Second Vice President, serves as Country Manager of Newmont Ghana and has more than two decades of multinational leadership experience spanning mining, agribusiness, telecommunications and logistics across Africa, Asia and North America.
The leadership transition comes at a pivotal moment for Ghana’s mining industry.
Gold continues to anchor the country’s export earnings, fiscal revenues and foreign exchange inflows, but the sector also faces growing pressure to demonstrate stronger local value addition, better environmental stewardship and deeper community impact.
For the new Chamber leadership, the challenge will be to balance industry competitiveness with national expectations for increased domestic benefits.
That will require credible policy engagement, stronger collaboration with regulators, deeper local procurement, responsible mining practices and measurable contributions to host communities.
Ing. Attakumah’s target of raising gold output to seven million ounces over the next few years is ambitious.
But his emphasis on policy stability, regulatory coordination, local value creation and ESG leadership suggests that the Chamber intends to frame mining growth not only around production volumes, but also around long-term national value.
For Ghana, the mining sector’s next chapter will depend on whether government, industry, communities and investors can build a more balanced framework that supports expansion while protecting the environment and strengthening local participation.
The Chamber’s new leadership now has the task of helping shape that balance.
