Ghana must lead African push for mining benefits to reach ordinary citizens—Ayariga

Ghana's Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga has urged African nations to work together on mining policy to ensure that the continent's vast mineral wealth actually benefits ordinary people, not just government treasuries and foreign corporations.

Speaking at the African Minerals Policy Forum's Mining in Motion 2026 conference in Accra this week, Ayariga underscored that Africa's enormous natural resources could drive transformational development if countries adopted stronger, coordinated policies focused on responsible extraction, local involvement and transparent revenue management.

The conference, themed "Sovereignty as Practice: Strengthening African Bargaining Power and Delivering Local Benefits," brought together policymakers and industry stakeholders to discuss how African nations can strengthen their hand in global mining markets while keeping wealth within their borders.

The core challenge: Making mining work for communities

Ayariga's message reflects a persistent frustration across Africa: despite sitting on world-leading reserves of gold, diamonds, lithium, bauxite and other critical minerals, many African countries struggle to translate resource wealth into improved living standards for citizens. Mining revenues often flow to state budgets and multinational firms, leaving host communities with pollution, land degradation and minimal economic gain.

The minister emphasised that effective mineral management must extend far beyond simply extracting ore and collecting royalties. Instead, he argued, governments need robust local institutions, meaningful community participation in decision-making, and strict accountability mechanisms to ensure mining revenue genuinely improves welfare.

Local governance and transparency are central to this vision. When communities have a voice in how resources are managed and how revenues are spent, the argument goes, mining can support infrastructure, education and healthcare rather than enriching elites while leaving citizens behind.

Why this matters for Ghana

Ghana is Africa's second-largest gold producer and has substantial reserves of bauxite, manganese and other minerals. Yet mining's contribution to broad-based development remains contested. Local communities in mining regions often report limited tangible benefits despite decades of large-scale operations, whilst environmental concerns persist.

Ayariga's push for continental coordination signals Ghana's intent to shape how African nations approach mining policy. If successful, such unified strategies could strengthen negotiating positions with multinational miners, improve contract terms and ensure that a larger share of mining wealth remains in African hands and reaches African communities.

For Ghana specifically, adopting stronger local governance frameworks and community participation models could set a precedent across West Africa, whilst potentially influencing how future mining contracts are structured and what obligations companies must meet to local areas.

The path forward

The minister called on African countries to prioritise policies that marry responsible resource extraction with local development priorities. This requires stronger regulatory oversight, community engagement in project planning, and governance structures that ensure mining revenue flows toward national development goals and improved citizen welfare.

Without such coordinated African action, he suggested, the continent risks repeating historical patterns where natural wealth is extracted but benefits remain concentrated. By working together on mining sovereignty and local benefit-sharing, African nations can reshape the relationship between resource wealth and grassroots prosperity.