- Mining Value Must Be Measured, Not Assumed — Ing Dr Ashigbey
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ing. Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has called for a more data-driven and technically informed national conversation on Ghana’s mining sector, warning that emotionally charged narratives around resource nationalism could weaken investor confidence and distort public understanding of the industry.
Speaking during the NorvanReports XSpace Special Edition on Ghana’s mining sector, Dr Ashigbey said Ghana has every right to demand greater value from its mineral resources. But he cautioned that the debate must be grounded in facts, operational realities and measurable economic outcomes, rather than slogans or politically attractive claims.
According to him, arguments about whether Ghana is receiving enough from its mining sector must be tested against evidence on taxes, royalties, employment, local procurement, indigenous participation, community investment and industry transformation.
He criticised recent narratives around resource nationalism for lacking sufficient economic analysis, warning that poorly framed arguments could create uncertainty around Ghana’s investment environment at a time when the country is seeking to consolidate macroeconomic stability and attract long-term capital.
Dr Ashigbey said Ghana’s mining industry has changed significantly since the 1980s, moving from a sector with limited local participation to one in which Ghanaians now dominate much of the workforce and increasingly control parts of the value chain.
He noted that large-scale gold production had grown from about 216,000 ounces in the 1980s to nearly 3 million ounces by 2025, reflecting decades of investment, operational expansion and policy evolution within the industry.
Beyond output, he said, the structure of participation has also changed.
According to him, 99.4% of workers in Ghana’s large-scale mining sector are now Ghanaians, while local firms increasingly dominate contract mining, logistics, procurement and supply services that were previously controlled largely by foreign companies.
That development, he argued, must be part of any serious discussion about mining value.
For Dr Ashigbey, the question should not be reduced to how much tax or royalty the government receives from mining companies. While fiscal receipts are important, he said they represent only one part of the sector’s contribution to the economy.
Mining, he explained, also creates value through direct and indirect employment, local enterprise growth, skills transfer, technology absorption, infrastructure support, domestic service contracts and wider supply-chain linkages.
He said Ghana has gradually built stronger indigenous participation across the mining value chain, with local companies taking on roles in mining operations, technical services, procurement, transport and other specialised support functions.
That evolution, he noted, should be recognised even as the country continues to press for deeper local content and stronger value retention. The Chamber of Mines CEO said debates around whether Ghana is receiving enough value from mining should focus on measurable indicators.
These include the level of Ghanaian participation in management and technical roles, the value of contracts awarded to local firms, the number of Ghanaian suppliers developing productive capacity, the scale of community investment, the quality of jobs created, and the extent to which mining stimulates local manufacturing and industrial development.
Without that data, he warned, public debate risks becoming emotional rather than constructive.
Dr Ashigbey’s intervention comes at a time when Ghana’s mining sector is under intense scrutiny. Recent conversations around lease renewals, state control, local ownership and resource sovereignty have raised important policy questions about whether the country is extracting enough long-term value from its mineral wealth.
But the debate has also exposed a deeper tension: how Ghana can secure more domestic benefit from mining without damaging investor confidence or raising the risk premium attached to the sector.
Mining projects require large capital commitments, long project timelines, technical expertise and stable regulatory conditions. Investors therefore pay close attention to policy predictability, fiscal stability, licensing rules and the tone of public debate.
Dr Ashigbey warned that if resource nationalism is framed loosely or emotionally, it could create uncertainty for investors and undermine the very capital flows Ghana needs to sustain exploration, production and job creation.
At the same time, he acknowledged that Ghana must do more to ensure mining communities benefit directly from the wealth generated in their areas.
He called for reforms in the distribution and management of mineral revenues, arguing that mining-host communities must see more visible development from extraction.
According to him, Ghana should consider establishing a Minerals Revenue Management framework to channel a greater share of mining revenues into host communities for infrastructure, industrialisation and local economic development.
Such a framework, if properly designed, could address one of the most persistent complaints in mining communities: that gold leaves their land, but roads, schools, hospitals, water systems and local enterprise opportunities do not reflect the value extracted from it.
Ghana already receives mineral royalties and other fiscal payments, but questions remain over how these revenues are allocated, tracked and translated into development outcomes. In many mining areas, the visible gap between mineral wealth and community transformation continues to fuel frustration and strengthen resource nationalism arguments.
Dr Ashigbey’s position suggests that the solution lies not only in demanding more from mining companies but also in improving how the state manages, distributes and invests mining revenues.
He also urged government and industry stakeholders to work together to strengthen local manufacturing capacity so that more mining inputs and industrial supplies are produced domestically instead of being imported.
If local content only means Ghanaian firms importing equipment, chemicals, protective gear or machinery from abroad and reselling to mining companies, the country may retain margins but not build industrial capacity. But if local firms begin to manufacture, assemble, maintain and engineer mining inputs locally, the sector can become a platform for industrialisation.
The country has moved from low local participation to stronger Ghanaian involvement in employment and services. The next step is to deepen production capacity, supplier competitiveness, technology transfer and community-based economic transformation.
It must move beyond emotion and ask harder questions. How much value is retained locally? How many Ghanaian firms are scaling because of mining contracts? Are communities receiving a fair share of mineral revenues? Are royalties being converted into productive infrastructure? Are local suppliers becoming manufacturers? Are Ghanaian professionals moving into high-value technical and managerial positions?
These are the indicators that can show whether Ghana is truly benefiting from mining. The Chamber of Mines CEO’s intervention does not dismiss resource nationalism. Rather, it challenges policymakers, civil society, analysts and the public to define it properly.
Resource sovereignty, if it is to deliver real development, must be built on evidence, institutions and measurable outcomes not anger alone.
For Ghana, the stakes are high. Mining remains one of the country’s most important sources of export earnings, fiscal revenue and foreign exchange. But it is also one of the sectors where public expectations, community grievances and investor concerns often collide.
Dr Ashigbey’s warning is that Ghana cannot afford a mining debate driven by emotion at the expense of facts.
The country must demand more value from its minerals. But it must also know, with precision, where value is being created, where it is leaking, and what reforms can retain more of it without damaging the investment base that sustains the industry.
