Government has rolled out additional directives on its contract mining policy, moving to guarantee that workers do not lose out as mining companies shift from owner mining to contractor-led operations.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources confirmed that indigenous Ghanaian companies must handle contract mining for surface operations, while underground mining contracts require a partnership in which a Ghanaian-owned company holds at least 50 percent interest.
The rule has been part of the 6th Edition of the Local Procurement List since January 1, 2025, under the Minerals and Mining Local Content and Local Participation Regulations, 2020.
According to the Ministry, most multinational mining companies operating in Ghana have already fallen in line with the requirement.
Despite that broad compliance, the Ghana Mineworkers' Union, along with human resource experts and other stakeholders, raised red flags about how the shift could quietly erode workers' pay and conditions.
The Ministry said it took those concerns seriously, prompting extensive consultations between the Minerals Commission, union leadership and industry experts.
Those talks produced a firm commitment from government. The statement made clear that "no worker shall be rendered worse off as a consequence" of the transition, with contract mining workers guaranteed salaries, wages, allowances and benefits equivalent to what owner mining workers received for comparable work before the switch.
New Safeguards for Workers
To back up that promise, government has directed the Minerals Commission to ensure three things happen. No worker engaged by a mining contractor can suffer any reduction in wages, benefits or conditions of service because of the transition.
The Commission must also work to harmonise salaries and conditions across the entire mining industry value chain. And eligible contractors will now be categorised based on their actual capacity to deliver mining-related services, rather than operating under a one-size-fits-all approach.
These measures sit on top of existing regulations and do not stop the Minerals Commission from taking further lawful steps to push the local content agenda forward.
The Commission has been given until November 30, 2026, to wrap up the processes needed to implement these measures and submit the necessary documents for approval.
The Ministry used the statement to draw a hard line against any attempt to game the system, warning of "ZERO TOLERANCE for unfair labour practices, cartelisation, bid rigging, fronting, or any other conduct that undermines local content objectives or operates to the detriment of the Ghanaian worker."
Framing the directives as part of President John Dramani Mahama's Reset Agenda, the Ministry said government remains committed to fairness, transparency and genuine Ghanaian participation throughout the mining sector, with worker protection positioned as non-negotiable as the industry adjusts to the new contract mining landscape.
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