Business News of 2026-09-13
Ghana moves to stop mining contractors from underpaying workers
Ghana is taking steps to protect mine workers from low wages and poor working conditions as mining companies increasingly turn to local contractors to carry out their operations.
The Minerals Commission, the country’s mining regulator, is developing minimum wage standards for contract mining firms to ensure workers are not paid below an acceptable level.
According to a Reuters report, Director of Local Content at the Minerals Commission, Ben Birch-Mensah, said the move was necessary to prevent workers from becoming worse off as more mining operations are outsourced to Ghanaian-owned companies.
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“The regulator does not want people to be worse off under contract mining,” he told Reuters.
“We are putting together a baseline so that contract miners cannot pay employees below a certain threshold,” he added.
The move follows concerns from mine workers who have opposed Ghana’s contract mining directive, arguing that some contractors offer lower salaries and less job security compared with direct employment by mining companies.
Under the directive issued in January 2025, mining companies are required to transfer surface mining activities such as blasting, loading, hauling and dumping to Ghanaian-owned contractors by December 31, 2026.
Underground mining operations are also expected to be carried out through joint ventures with at least 50% Ghanaian ownership.
The government says the policy is part of efforts to increase local participation and ensure that more value from Ghana’s mineral resources remains in the country.
However, the policy has faced criticism from the Ghana Chamber of Mines, which believes contract mining should not be compulsory.
The Chamber has also raised concerns about contractors underbidding each other to win mining contracts, warning that unsustainable bids could affect workers’ pay, training and safety.
“If people keep undercutting themselves, they may not have the resources to undertake the work, they won't pay workers properly, they won't train people, and safety is compromised,” Chamber CEO Ken Ashigbey said.
Birch-Mensah said some contractors had already struggled to meet their operating costs because of aggressive underbidding.
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The Commission plans to establish a committee to develop the details of the new standards.
Meanwhile, the Minerals Commission says compliance with the December 2026 deadline remains “non-negotiable”, with companies including Newmont, Zijin and Ghana Manganese Company yet to fully comply with the local contractor requirement.
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