Accra, Oct 3, GNA, The Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG), a research and advocacy non-governmental organisation (NGO), has proposed a series of amendments to the Minerals and Mining Act to address contradictions, clarify definitions, and promote fairness in Ghana’s extractive sector.
In a statement outlining its proposed changes and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the NGO noted inconsistencies between Section 17(1) of Act 703 (2006) and Section 99(6) of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 995 (2015).
It is recommended that the two provisions either be abrogated or harmonised to avoid confusion in interpretation.
On royalties (Section 25), the organisation urged government to peg rates between a minimum of five per cent and a maximum of 10 per cent of total mineral revenue, stating that “it is not safe and best practice to leave the royalty rate to be determined solely by the Minister or any other entity as and when the need arises.”
Regarding the transfer of earnings abroad (Section 29(d)), LEG suggested introducing a minimum payment system for expatriate personnel, drawing lessons from Sierra Leone by proposing security or exit fees on money transfers to encourage savings in Ghanaian banks, strengthen the local financial sector, and ease pressure on the cedi.
The NGO also called for clearer definitions of “suitable alternative land,” “economic well-being,” and “socio-cultural values” (Section 73(4)), proposing that resettled persons should have access to fertile land, adequate livelihoods, schools, health facilities, and proper housing with minimum standards such as a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and compound.
On compensation (Section 74(2)), LEG recommended defining “fair and adequate compensation” to avoid disputes, noting that “fair” should restore affected persons to their original financial position or better, while “adequate” should ensure they are not disadvantaged by resettlement or loss of land.
The organisation further proposed that land compensation (Section 94) be pegged annually by the Land Valuation Board and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, citing that current payments ranging between GHS400 and GHS1,000 per acre often trigger conflicts between mining companies and landowners.
LEG maintained that annual benchmarks would improve transparency and reduce disputes.
The organisation concluded that the proposed amendments, if adopted, would strengthen governance in the mining sector, enhance local economic benefits, and minimise conflicts in mining communities.
The amendments were developed by LEG with funding support from STAR Ghana Foundation and submitted alongside other inputs from the National Coalition on Mining.
