Renew Gold Fields lease in national interest — Huniso stakeholders

Youth groups and opinion leaders in Huniso and surrounding communities in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region have thrown their support behind the renewal of Gold Fields Ghana Limited's lease for the Tarkwa Mine.

The groups have launched a campaign dubbed “Gold Fields Must Stay for 20 Years”, urging the government to consider the economic interests of the country and host communities as discussions over the mine's lease renewal continue.

The campaign brings together community stakeholders from Huniso, Tebe and Abekoase, who argue that maintaining an experienced international mining operator would provide greater economic stability and protect thousands of jobs linked directly and indirectly to the Tarkwa Mine.

At a news conference, the groups criticised aspects of the proposed “Apinto Shared Prosperity Proposal”, which advocates a greater local ownership role in the future management of the mine.

They argued that claims surrounding shared local ownership could create unrealistic expectations and potentially undermine the stability and long-term development of the mining communities.

The groups maintained that foreign direct investment (FDI), when properly regulated and supported by strong local participation requirements, remains an important driver of large-scale industrial mining.

According to them, the scale and complexity of the Tarkwa Mine require substantial capital, sophisticated technical expertise and strict adherence to international health, safety and environmental standards.

The Abokomahene of Huniso, Nana Kwasi Ansah, strongly rejected calls by the Apinto Division for the government to deny Gold Fields a lease extension and transfer control of the mine under a local ownership arrangement.

He described the proposal as economically risky and cautioned against what he called an attempt to “hijack a vital national asset for private gain” under the guise of promoting local ownership.

Mining is not trial-and-error corporate governance,” Nana Ansah said.

He argued that the Tarkwa Mine is a world-class, deep open-pit mining operation requiring significant financial resources, advanced technology and experienced management.

In his view, replacing an established operator with an untested wholly Ghanaian-owned entity or state vehicle could expose the mine to operational, financial and safety risks.

He said the priority should instead be to improve transparency, strengthen local procurement, guarantee employment and secure legally binding commitments for community infrastructure.

The community leaders warned that failure to renew Gold Fields' lease could have serious consequences for employment in the Tarkwa area.

Nana Ansah estimated that about 4,000 direct workers and subcontractors could face job losses if the mine's operations were disrupted.

He also warned that businesses that depend on the mine—including companies providing catering, transportation, engineering and other services—could suffer significant financial losses.

The potential disruption, he said, could extend beyond employees to farmers, traders, contractors and other economic actors whose livelihoods are connected to mining activities.

The groups also argued that the government could lose substantial revenue from royalties, taxes and dividends if Gold Fields' operations were disrupted.

Nana Ansah said the Tarkwa Mine contributes significantly to national revenue and that maintaining production would protect an important source of fiscal income.

He acknowledged that mining operations inevitably create environmental and social challenges but rejected claims that Gold Fields had made no meaningful contribution to its host communities.

While no mining operation is without environmental and social challenges, it is factually incorrect to say Gold Fields has contributed nothing to host communities,” he stated.

The Huniso opinion leader pointed to several initiatives attributed to Gold Fields as evidence of the company's contribution to local development.

These include support for small and medium-sized enterprises, employment opportunities, scholarships and community development projects.

He also cited the company's graduate employment scheme, which provides beneficiaries with an annual allowance of US$600.

According to Nana Ansah, Gold Fields' educational support has benefited students from mining communities, including a beneficiary who went on to become a medical doctor at the University of Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.

He said other beneficiaries have trained and worked as engineers, midwives and nurses, creating a pool of professionals from communities such as Huniso.

While backing the renewal of Gold Fields' lease, the community groups said continued mining should come with stronger obligations to host communities.

Nana Ansah called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to renew the company's lease but make the renewal conditional on a stricter and legally binding Community Development Agreement (CDA).

Such an agreement, he said, should provide clear commitments on employment, local procurement, infrastructure, education, community development and environmental protection.

The groups said their campaign was not intended to oppose greater community participation in the mining sector but to ensure that any changes do not jeopardise the economic stability of the Tarkwa mining area.

They maintained that local communities should benefit more from the resources extracted from their lands while preserving the capital, expertise and operational capacity required to sustain a major mining operation.

The “Gold Fields Must Stay for 20 Years” campaign therefore adds another dimension to the ongoing debate over the future of the Tarkwa Mine, with community stakeholders calling for a balance between local ownership, national revenue, employment protection, responsible mining and long-term investment.