Ghana will move forward on Tuesday with a new sliding‑scale gold royalty regime that ties state revenues to rising bullion prices, the country’s mining regulator told Reuters.
- Ghana will implement a new sliding-scale gold royalty regime that links state revenues to rising gold prices.
- The policy faces opposition from the US, China, other Western governments, and some mining executives.
- The system replaces the previous flat 5% rate, with miners now paying up to 12% when gold exceeds $4,500 per ounce.
- Lithium royalties will also adopt a sliding scale of 5–12%, while other minerals’ rates remain at 5%.
Ghana will move forward on Tuesday with a new sliding‑scale gold royalty regime that ties state revenues to rising bullion prices, the country’s mining regulator said.
The policy comes despite opposition from China, the U.S., other Western governments, and some mining executives.
Last week, the U.S., China, and several Western nations launched a rare joint effort to persuade Ghana to halt the policy, part of a broader push by African governments to capture more value from surging commodity prices.
The new system replaces the previous flat 5% rate for Africa’s top gold producer. Under the sliding-scale framework, miners will pay up to 12% when gold reaches $4,500 per ounce; gold currently trades above $5,000 per ounce, according to Reuters.
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Lithium royalties will also adopt a 5–12% sliding scale, tied to prices between $1,500 and $3,200 per metric ton, while other minerals remain at 5%.
Mining companies have warned that the upper end of Ghana’s new royalty regime could make the country one of the most expensive mining jurisdictions in Africa.
Resource control and revenue gain
Ghana’s proposed royalty reforms are part of a wider trend across Africa, where governments are pushing to capture a greater share of revenues from their natural resources as global commodity prices remain high.
In parts of West Africa, including nations linked to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), debates around expanding government control, revising fiscal terms, and in some cases nationalising key assets have gathered momentum as governments seek to maximise the benefits of their mineral wealth.
