The government in the next few months will develop an indigenous framework to manage natural resources exploration in the country, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.
This comes on the back of government’s decision not to renew Goldfields’ Damang mines deal following the expiration of its 30-year lease.
Speaking at a four-day ministerial retreat in Ada on Thursday, President Mahama stressed the need for local participation in the managing of the country’s natural resource to avoid capital flight.
In President Mahama’s view, such interventions are necessary to raise resources to develop mining communities and areas.
“We had a little issue which we had resolved with one of our mining companies which lease have expired after 30 years and it was our desire to take it over and use Ghanaian expertise to be able to also explore that resource and let the benefit remain in our country.
“Happily, we reached an amicable solution to work together to transition that mine to a Ghanaian ownership. But it leads me to what my thoughts are that we must have an indigenisation programme for taking control of some of our natural resources.
“And so in the next few months, we will develop a policy on indigenous participation in our natural resource exploitation and we are not going to excoriate anybody’s concession but anytime a lease comes up for renewal, we would want to negotiate to ensure that there’s more indigenous Ghanaian participation in these things so that we can also raise the resources to bring prosperity to our people,” the President said.
President Mahama’s disclosure comes a day after Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced that government had reached an agreement with Goldfields Ghana Limited for a transitional plan for the Damang Mine.
“Under the new arrangement, Goldfields will resume open-pit mining during the transition period, safeguarding jobs and conducting feasibility studies to establish Damang’s reserves and mine life,” Mr Ofosu said in the statement.
President Mahama, meanwhile, has acknowledged that Ghana was at a critical juncture, grappling with severe economic challenges that needed urgent and decisive action, though the future looked bright.
The government, he said, was elected not to assign blame but to find solutions to the pressing issues confronting the nation.
In this regard, President Mahama urged his ministers and senior government officials to eschew opulence, lead with vision, integrity, and purpose.
“I issue this challenge to each of you to lead your sectors with vision and integrity, champion innovation, make decisions based on facts and data, and not on guesswork.
“Spend public funds wisely and judiciously, reject opulence and never forget your first duty is to the people of Ghana and not to your own political survival, not to the applause you will get and not to your official gain,” the President counselled.
On the theme “Re-Imagining Leadership in a Reset Ghana”, the retreat, supported by the United Nations Development Programme is aimed at equipping senior political leaders and public officials with the mindset, skills, and knowledge required to navigate complex governance challenges in a rapidly changing world.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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