Copyright kessbenonline
Ghana has opened a new chapter in its mining history with the inauguration of Newmont’s Ahafo North Mine, a US$1 billion investment hailed as a symbol of partnership, progress, and national pride on Thursday, 30th October 2025. The ceremony, held at the mine site in Afrisipakrom in the Ahafo Region, was graced by the Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the sector Minister, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah. H.E. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, representing President John Dramani Mahama, said the project shows what can be achieved when Government, the private sector, and mining communities work together. She revealed that Ghana’s gold industry remains a key driver of growth, contributing GH₵17.7 billion to GDP in 2024, up from GH₵11.7 billion in 2023. Gold exports, she added, reached an impressive US$8 billion by August this year. “Today, Ghana is not just another gold-producing country,” she declared. “We are number one in Africa and sixth in the world.” The Vice President commended Newmont for its long-standing partnership with Ghana and its role in supporting local jobs, infrastructure, and businesses. She lauded the company’s commitment to fund the rehabilitation of the 46km Sunyani–Ntotroso–Akyerensua road, describing it as “the kind of partnership we must champion, one built on shared vision and mutual respect.” H.E. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also expressed gratitude to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his leadership in resolving community concerns and ensuring peace during the project’s development. Turning to the future, she said Ghana must move beyond gold extraction to value addition. “We must shift from exporting raw materials to building industries that process and refine them,” she said. “That is how we create high-value jobs and lasting prosperity.” In his remarks, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP) heralded the mine as more than just an infrastructure project, but a "symbol of responsible stewardship" that reflects national values of inclusivity and shared prosperity. He highlighted that the mine, built with significant Ghanaian expertise, is expected to create thousands of jobs and expand opportunities for local businesses. “We are open for business,” he said, “but only to partnerships that respect our people, our environment, and our resources.” With Government’s focus on Local Content and empowering Ghanaian businesses, Hon. Buah reiterated that the established regulations on Contract Mining are followed diligently to ensure that local, indigenous Ghanaian businesses have a fair opportunity to grow and expand their commercial capacity. The Minister also revealed that Government is at an advanced stage of discussions with Newmont to implement a partnership under the flagship Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP). "This is a bold step towards inclusive growth—where small-scale and large-scale miners can coexist responsibly," he stated. The programme will see Newmont release a portion of its concession for responsible, regulated small-scale mining operations within its host communities, a move aimed at creating sustainable alternatives to illegal mining. He ended with a patriotic call, highlighting, “The true success of this mine will not be in the gold it produces, but in the lives it transforms. He also added that, as a fundamental principle, mineral resource extraction should always serve a higher national purpose of being translated into infrastructural gains that inure to all Ghanaians and not the private windfalls of a select few. The Ahafo North Mine is Newmont's latest project in the region, following the Ahafo South and Subika underground mines, and is poised to significantly boost the company's gold production in Ghana.
