After many years of waiting, thousands of Ghanaian mine workers may finally have something to hold onto as both the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Finance Ministry have pledged that their long-standing grievance will not be brushed aside.
The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) marched to both institutions on Thursday to demand the release of GHS380 million in locked-up provident funds, welfare savings, and severance packages belonging to over 19,000 miners.
After tense protests on the streets of Accra, the miners left with more than just receipts of their petition; officials promised to take action on their demands.
Bank of Ghana: “We remain open to dialogue”
At the central bank, the petition was received by the Director of Legal, Jessie Jacintho, on behalf of the Governor. In her response with a reassuring tone, the Head of Legal told the union that “the Bank of Ghana remains committed to financial stability, consumer protection and public confidence.”
She further assured them that their concerns will be given due consideration. Jessie Jacintho went further, pledging that the Bank would “study your petition carefully and engage with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that your concerns are addressed through the appropriate channels.”
She also commended the union for exercising their democratic rights peacefully, adding that “the Bank of Ghana remains open to dialogue.”
Finance Ministry: “We will get back to you”
At the Ministry of Finance, after a tense standoff at the gates, Deputy Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem personally stepped forward to receive the petition. The Deputy Minister further offered his own assurance.
“We have received your petition and it will be considered,” he told the union, promising that the Ministry will get back to you on whatever you have stated.
Will these Words Matter?
For a union that has spent five years collecting assurances, from a 2021 promise by the Bank of Ghana’s Head of Banking Supervision, to repeated Governor statements tying resolution to IMF talks and the Debt Exchange Programme, to a March 2025 pledge of joint action with the Finance Ministry, Thursday’s responses may land differently.
This time, both institutions responded not with silence or deflection, but with direct engagement, received not by junior aides but by senior officials empowered to speak on behalf of their principals.
For retirees still waiting on their pensions, redundant workers whose severance packages remain frozen, and widows and dependents struggling to make ends meet, these pledges offer something they can cling to. They hope that institutions will listen and, crucially, be willing to be held to their word.
The Road Ahead
The union’s demands remain unchanged, which are full repayment of all funds locked up in distressed institutions like The Seed Funds Savings & Loans Limited and Jislah Financial Services Limited, and an urgent joint meeting with the Finance Minister and the Bank of Ghana Governor.
For now, both key institutions have put their assurances on record, in public, before thousands of watching mineworkers.
Whether Thursday’s pledges mark the beginning of real closure, or simply the latest entry in a long list of promises, will depend on what happens next. But for now, after years of disappointment, the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union has something to cling on: assurances.
