The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has warned against the growing practice of foreign companies using Ghanaian fronts to secure opportunities in the mining sector.
He said the government will not allow arrangements that weaken genuine local participation.
He said this on Thursday at the maiden Local Content Summit 2026 in Takoradi.
The minister described fronting as a theft of opportunity that runs against Ghana’s Local Content policy.
He stated that authorities would not condone any form of fronting involving Ghanaian citizens.
He urged Ghanaians to avoid short-term financial gain that denies them long-term ownership and control.
According to him, real empowerment comes from equity, capacity building and value creation, not from lending names to foreign interests.
Mr Buah commended industry leaders and professionals who attended the forum, saying their participation reflected renewed efforts under the President’s Reset Agenda to ensure that Ghanaians benefit directly from the country’s mineral resources.
Reviewing Ghana’s mining history, he noted that although the sector accounts for about 43 per cent of merchandise exports, it has operated largely as an enclave economy.
He said local firms capture less than 40 per cent of procurement spending, while high-value services remain dominated by foreign companies.
He called for deliberate partnerships, technology transfer and equity participation to increase Ghanaian ownership.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Isaac Andrews Tandoh, noted fronting as a major source of ongoing challenges in the sector, including illegal mining.
He said foreign interests continue to control benefits while operating behind Ghanaian identities.
Mr Tandoh noted that many Ghanaians hold limited equity in mining projects in their own country, while long-term leases restrict national resources without delivering lasting value to communities. He stressed that employment does not amount to ownership.
He outlined reforms introduced over the past year, including the revocation of more than 300 fraudulently acquired licences, the activation of District Mining Committees, a review of mining laws and policies, and stricter local content requirements.
Mr Tandoh said the Commission would enforce the law without fear or favour, work with credible investors, support capable Ghanaian entrepreneurs and address all forms of regulatory abuse to ensure the sector contributes to broad-based national development.
The two-day maiden Local Content Summit was held from Wednesday, February 18 to Thursday, February 19, 2026, under the theme “Strengthening Local Content and Indigenisation: Building a Resilient Mining Sector in Ghana.”
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
