Fatalities in Ghana’s mining industry declined by more than 57 percent, from seven in 2024 to three in 2025, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, has disclosed.
He said the decline demonstrated that investments in leadership, workforce training, emergency preparedness and risk management were yielding positive results.
Dr Ashigbey disclosed this at Akoon during the Zone One Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition, held on the theme: “Safety First, Safety Always.”
He said although the reduction was encouraging, the industry must not become complacent, stressing that the ultimate goal remained zero fatalities and zero harm.
“We should acknowledge this progress, but we must never allow progress to become complacent. Three deaths are too many,” he said.
The CEO said the industry also recorded 34 serious accidents and 210 first aid cases during the period under review.
He said the figures represented more than statistics, as each incident affected workers, families and communities.
“Our destination therefore remains clear: zero fatalities and zero harm,” Dr Ashigbey said.
He urged mining companies to continue strengthening behavioural safety, hazard identification, risk management, emergency preparedness and systems for learning from incidents.
Dr Ashigbey also called for increased attention to contractor safety, noting that workplace risks did not distinguish between permanent employees and contractors.
“That is precisely why this competition remains so important,” he said.
Dr Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, Mine Manager of Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa Mine, said safety should be practised as a personal responsibility rather than merely a requirement imposed through monitoring.
She said the mine’s commitment to safety extended beyond its operational boundaries to the communities in which it operated.
Dr Kuutor said the roads used by workers, emergency services, families and young people in host communities formed part of the mine’s wider safety ecosystem.
She said Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine therefore continued to support safety awareness and emergency preparedness in host communities through partnerships with institutions, community leaders, emergency services, security agencies and other local stakeholders.
“When communities prioritise safety, it protects families, preserves livelihoods and makes development more sustainable,” she said.
Dr Kuutor said responsible mining should not be measured only by the ounces of gold produced, but also by the quality of life protected and the positive impact made in host communities.
Prof. Bernard Kumi-Boateng, Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, announced plans for the university to organise an inter-faculty first aid competition.
He said participation would be compulsory for all students from the next academic year.
“We are starting next academic year, and it will be compulsory for every single student,” he said.
At the end of the competition, Heath Goldfields Community emerged winners with 98 points, followed by Ghana Manganese Company Limited Community with 97.5 points.
Asante Gold Corporation placed third with 96.5 points, while Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa Mine, and AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine placed fourth and fifth with 91 and 81.5 points, respectively.
