Former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has called on Ghana to strengthen its technical expertise and involve more Ghanaian professionals in decisions concerning the country’s mineral resources.
According to him, Ghana must move beyond relying on royalties from foreign companies and develop the capacity to own and add value to its mineral resources.
“Ghana should also hire its expertise and bring them to the table. If we own the product, then of course we can apply the by-products,” Prof. Oquaye said.
He was speaking at the National Mining Dialogue 2026 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, held under the theme, “Rethinking the Social Licence to Operate.”
Prof. Oquaye said the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), with which he has been closely associated, had for years contributed to discussions on Ghana’s mineral resources and national asset ownership beyond partisan politics.
He said successive managers of the country must recognise that Ghana’s natural resources belong to the people and that those entrusted with managing them are merely caretakers.
“All managers at any given time must be mindful of the fact that the land is not their own but caretakers for the time being,” he said.
Prof. Oquaye stressed the need for Ghana to pursue greater ownership of its mineral resources, particularly gold, bauxite and manganese, arguing that the country’s current approach of relying heavily on royalties had not delivered the level of economic transformation expected.
He noted that while other countries had benefited significantly from the Industrial Revolution and were now positioning themselves for the technology revolution, Ghana had largely remained on the margins of both developments.
“We have tried the paradigm of royalties. It has lent help to us. There has been Industrial Revolution; we are not part of it as a people. Now we have the technology revolution, we are still not part,” he said.
The former Speaker said Ghana must therefore critically examine how its mineral resources could be used to create industries, jobs and greater economic opportunities for its citizens.
He expressed concern about the high level of youth unemployment, citing Ghana Statistical Service data which he said puts youth unemployment at about 22 per cent.
Prof. Oquaye argued that Ghana’s mineral resources could provide a foundation for addressing unemployment and driving sustainable economic development if the country developed the expertise and industrial capacity required to process its resources locally.
He maintained that Ghana should invest in human capital and technical expertise to enable local professionals to participate meaningfully in the mining value chain.
“We from our research believe that is our future. But if we give it to foreigners and take royalties, then of course we will continue to suffer,” he said.
Prof. Oquaye called for a shift in Ghana’s approach to mining, urging policymakers to focus on ownership, local value addition and the development of industries around the country’s mineral resources rather than depending mainly on royalties from extraction.
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