The Minerals Commission has been directed to complete the necessary processes for implementing additional contract mining policy measures and submit the required documents for approval by November 30, 2026.
The directive was announced by the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Zambaga Rufai Saminu, in a press release dated October 21, 2026. The release outlined safeguards to protect workers’ rights and measures to strengthen Ghanaian participation in the mining industry.
The additional directives are intended to guide the transition from owner mining to contract mining while protecting workers’ rights, welfare and conditions of service.
Under the measures, no worker engaged or to be engaged by a mining contractor or similar service provider should suffer a reduction in wages, emoluments, entitlements, benefits or conditions of service because of the transition.
The Commission has also been instructed to take the necessary steps to harmonise salaries, wages and conditions of service across the mining industry’s value chain.
Another key requirement is the categorisation of eligible contractors according to their capacity to provide mining-related services.
The Ministry said the measures followed concerns raised by the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union, human resource experts and other stakeholders about the potential impact of contract mining on workers’ remuneration and employment conditions.
It added that consultations with the Union’s leadership, industry experts and other relevant stakeholders had clarified the regulatory and policy framework governing the transition.
The government has maintained that workers moving into contract mining arrangements must continue to receive salaries, allowances, benefits and other incentives equivalent to those applicable to owner-mining workers performing comparable duties before the transition.
The directive also reinforces local content requirements under the Minerals and Mining (Local Content and Local Participation) Regulations, 2020 (LI 2431).
Under the policy, indigenous Ghanaian companies are required to undertake contract mining for surface mining operations, while underground contract mining must be undertaken through partnerships in which Ghanaian-owned companies hold at least a 50 per cent interest.
The Ministry further declared zero tolerance for unfair labour practices, cartelisation, bid-rigging, fronting and other conduct that undermines local content objectives or harms Ghanaian workers.
The November 30 deadline places responsibility on the Minerals Commission to advance the implementation process and submit the necessary documents for approval.
The government says the overall objective is to ensure that contract mining promotes genuine Ghanaian participation, transparency and fairness while protecting workers across the mining industry’s value chain.
