Ghana will proceed with a new sliding-scale royalty regime for gold mining despite diplomatic pressure from the United States, China, and other Western governments.
The policy takes effect Tuesday as part of efforts to capture larger revenue shares from rising commodity prices, according to Minerals Commission Chief Executive Isaac Tandoh.
Foreign diplomatic missions had expressed concerns about the top royalty band but did not oppose the broader plan to review the framework, Tandoh confirmed on Monday.
The new system replaces the current flat five per cent royalty with a sliding scale that increases as gold prices rise, requiring miners to pay up to 12 per cent royalty when prices reach around 4,500 per ounce.
Lithium royalties will also shift to a five to 12 per cent sliding scale depending on global prices, extending the revenue capture mechanism to other strategic minerals.
Executives from major mining companies have warned that the policy could discourage new projects, with the Ghana Chamber of Mines raising concerns about potential impacts on investment and future output.
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On March 6, the United States, China, and several Western governments launched coordinated diplomatic efforts to persuade Ghana to halt or modify the proposed increase.
Mining company executives from Newmont, Gold Fields, AngloGold Ashanti, and Perseus Mining wrote to Ghana’s lands and natural resources ministry warning of increased operating costs.
A gold royalty is a payment mining companies make to governments for the right to extract minerals, with the policy coming amid a major surge in global bullion prices this year.
Gold prices have climbed nearly 20 per cent, reaching a record high of about 5,595 per ounce earlier in 2026, strengthening the case for increased resource capture by producer countries.
Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer and among the world’s leading suppliers, producing roughly six million ounces in 2025, with gold accounting for about 40 per cent of export earnings.
Despite significant output, much of Ghana’s gold is exported in raw or semi-processed form, though the country opened its first commercial refinery in August 2024.
