In what seems to be a mass mobilization of Ghanaians to support the indigenization of Ghana’s mining resources, Dr. Steve Manteaw says we can’t expect the country’s mining towns to be like Johannesburg when our resources are controlled by foreigners.
The chairman of the Ghana Extractives Transparency Initiative (GHEITI) maintains that how great a country benefits from its natural resource endowment is heavily dependent on how the citizens are involved in the control of the resource.
Amidst the tussle between the Australian-owned Azumah Resources and the Ghanaian-owned E&P over the Black Volta Gold Project, Dr. Manteaw is painting an irony of how Ghanaians want mining towns such as Obuasi, Tarkwa, and others to become like Johannesburg; however, these same people are against indigenous people controlling the resource.
He explained that South Africa’s secret to the development of Johannesburg is that the natural resources are controlled by local companies.
“South Africa’s mining industry is controlled by South African companies. Ghana is controlled by foreigners. And we want Obuasi, Tarkwa, and Kenyasi to be like Johannesburg?” he quipped.
For Ghanaians to expect such a level of Johannesburg’s development but fight against local control of the natural resource, Dr. Manteaw wittingly describes as a future impossible tense, which he finds to be very ironic.
“In English grammar, this will pass for ‘future impossible’ tense,” he added in a comment cited by The High Street Journal
Behind the humor lies a hard truth that Ghana dreams of mining-led prosperity, yet struggles to empower its own citizens to lead the charge. While Johannesburg is home to mining giants proudly rooted in South African ownership, Ghana’s goldfields are largely in the grip of foreign interests, with local companies often facing roadblocks, skepticism, or legal battles when they try to rise.
Dr. Manteaw didn’t stop there. He pointed to “crab mentality,” which is the tendency to pull down those trying to climb. This, he says, is a major reason Ghana is unable to take charge of its own natural wealth.
He further calls on Ghanaians to take lessons from how South Korea has deliberately positioned its local industries to take the center in the mining sector.
“Ask South Korea, and they will tell you how they did it,” he said, referring to how national support for homegrown industries helped build an economic powerhouse.
At a time when conversations about resource nationalism and economic sovereignty are gaining ground across Africa, Dr. Manteaw’s words are both a wake-up call and a challenge that Ghana cannot hope to be the next Johannesburg if it continues to hold back its own.
