The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has issued a warning against the growing practice of foreign companies using Ghanaian fronts to access opportunities in the mining sector, declaring that government will not tolerate any arrangement that undermines genuine local participation.
Addressing stakeholders at a high-level mining forum during the maiden 2026 Local Content Summit, the Minister described fronting as “a theft of opportunity” that betrays national interest and defeats the purpose of Ghana’s local content agenda.
“We frown on, and we will not condone, any form of fronting using Ghanaians,” he said.
He urged citizens not to sacrifice long-term empowerment for short-term financial gain, stating, “Don’t sell your birthright when you can own the bakery.” According to him, true empowerment lies in ownership, capacity building, and long-term value creation not in lending names to hollow arrangements that deprive Ghanaians of control and meaningful benefit.
Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah commended the gathering of industry leaders and professionals, noting that the summit reflects renewed national resolve under the President’s Reset Agenda to ensure that Ghanaians fully own, participate in, and benefit from the country’s mineral wealth.
Reflecting on over a century of mining in Ghana, he observed that despite the country’s vast mineral resources and the sector’s contribution of approximately 43 percent of merchandise exports, mining has largely operated as an enclave economy.
He lamented that local businesses still capture less than 40 percent of procurement spending, while high-value services remain predominantly controlled by foreign entities.
He stressed that the time has come to close this gap through deliberate partnerships, technology transfer, and greater equity participation for Ghanaians.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Andrews Tandoh, described fronting as a root cause of persistent challenges in the mining sector, including illegal mining.
He noted that foreign interests often retain control and reap benefits while operating behind Ghanaian identities.
He pointed out that Ghanaians hold minimal equity in projects on their own soil, and long-term leases continue to tie up national resources in arrangements that generate little enduring value for communities.
“Employment is not the same as ownership,” Mr. Tandoh emphasised.
He outlined a series of reforms undertaken over the past year, including the revocation of more than 300 fraudulently acquired licences, the activation of District Mining Committees, a comprehensive review of mining laws and policies, and stricter enforcement of local content regulations.
Mr. Tandoh reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to enforcing the law without fear or favour, partnering with genuine investors, supporting capable Ghanaian entrepreneurs, and confronting all forms of fronting and regulatory evasion to ensure that the mining sector becomes a true engine of inclusive national development.
