Ghana Eyes Full Takeover of Tarkwa, One of Africa’s Biggest Gold Mines

Ghana is weighing a historic move to hand over the giant Tarkwa gold mine to local companies. The mine’s lease with international operator Gold Fields expires next year and Accra wants Ghanaian hands on it.

Ghana Moves to Reclaim Its Gold

Ghana is quietly preparing one of its boldest resource moves in decades. The government in Accra is seriously weighing a plan to transfer control of the Tarkwa gold mine one of the biggest open-pit gold mines on the African continent from South Africa-based Gold Fields to Ghanaian-owned companies. The mining lease expires next year, and that deadline is forcing a decision.

The Tarkwa mine is no small operation. It churned out 14.8 tonnes of gold in 2025 alone making it a cornerstone asset. The mine accounts for roughly 20% of Gold Fields’ entire global production. Losing operational control over Tarkwa would mark a significant shift for the international mining giant.

Accra Has Already Been Tightening the Screws

This potential handover does not come out of nowhere. Ghana has steadily been tightening its grip on the mining sector. The government already hiked gold royalties jumping from 5% all the way up to 12%. Authorities have also clamped down on the level of foreign participation allowed in local mining activities.

Ghanaian mining companies are expected to be invited into a competitive process to bid for ownership of the Tarkwa asset. Bids will not be judged on money alone future ownership decisions will weigh job creation, environmental rehabilitation, and commitments to local infrastructure.

Damang Set the Precedent

Tarkwa would not be the first major mine to change hands this way. Ghana recently oversaw the transfer of the Damang gold mine to a fully Ghanaian-owned company and that move now serves as a clear template for what Accra has in mind for Tarkwa.

A Broader Shift Across the Global South

This development fits into a much larger pattern playing out across Africa and the Global South. Nation after nation is reasserting sovereign control over natural resources moving away from decades of arrangements that critics say left too much wealth in foreign hands. Ghana’s Tarkwa decision if it goes ahead would be a landmark moment in that ongoing shift.