Ghana must step up efforts to formalise its artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector in order to enhance transparency, improve tax compliance, and strengthen extractive sector governance, according to the latest assessment by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
The EITI’s recent review, which scored Ghana 82.5 out of 100 in its overall implementation of transparency standards, highlights significant progress in contract disclosure, licensing, and ownership transparency. However, it stresses the need for urgent reforms in the artisanal mining sector, which contributes a substantial 31% of Ghana’s gold production but remains largely informal and under-regulated.
Despite employing around one million Ghanaians and playing a central role in rural economies, the ASM sector continues to present challenges for revenue collection. The 2024 Ghana EITI (GHEITI) report on the ASM sector, its first of its kind, uncovered critical gaps, including inconsistent production data, poor tax attribution, weak withholding tax compliance, and limited access to geological information for operators.
“Ghana EITI should continue to support ongoing government efforts to formalise the artisanal mining sector,” said EITI Board Chair Helen Clark. “I encourage the government to prioritise enhancing the management and governance of state-owned enterprises in order to position the extractive sector strategically for the future.”
The report comes as Ghana, Africa’s top gold producer and host to three major oil and gas projects, seeks to tighten oversight in an industry that accounted for more than 68% of export revenues and 15% of government income in 2020. With the global demand for transition minerals growing, authorities are also eyeing expansion in critical mineral production to support green energy transitions.
GHEITI has played a pivotal role in fostering transparency and public accountability. Since Ghana’s last EITI validation in 2020, the country has improved its routine disclosures, leveraged contract and corporate ownership data, and established local multi-stakeholder groups to enhance community engagement.
Contract disclosure, in particular, is helping the government better assess fiscal terms, monitor project compliance, and prevent revenue leakages. Ghana is among the 41 of 55 EITI-implementing countries now disclosing extractive contracts up from 35 in 2021 although many countries, including Ghana, are yet to publish all annexes and amendments.
The report also notes ongoing efforts to restore public access to the country’s beneficial ownership register, following system upgrades. The global Opening Extractives initiative, which seeks to eliminate the use of anonymous companies in the sector, is expected to deepen its support in Ghana in 2025, with a focus on embedding transparency into governance systems and institutionalising best practices.
By addressing the ASM sector’s informality, the EITI believes Ghana can further unlock revenues, curb environmental degradation, and promote more sustainable and inclusive development in its mining communities.
