Gold Fields Ghana Foundation hits back at CSR criticism amid Tarkwa mine lease debate
The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has firmly rejected allegations that it has failed to deliver meaningful development projects to communities surrounding its Tarkwa mining operations, describing the claims as factually inaccurate and detached from the realities on the ground.
The rebuttal comes as public debate intensifies over the future of the Gold Fields Ghana Tarkwa mine lease, which is set to expire in April 2027.
While civil society groups including the Institute of Economic Affairs and some individuals have called on government to withhold renewal, the Ghana Chamber of Mines has warned that such a move could damage investor confidence in the country’s mining sector.
Speaking to journalists, Foundation Executive Secretary Abdel Razak Yakubu said the recent media commentary had caught the organisation off guard, asserting that the criticism stemmed largely from a lack of awareness rather than a genuine absence of community development work.
“We have done a lot of publicity around what we do, but we do not want to spend money meant for community development on excessive public relations,” he explained.
Yakubu disclosed that Gold Fields had invested more than $110 million in development initiatives spanning roads, education, healthcare, and community livelihoods.
Among the projects highlighted were the construction of the Nana Angu bypass road in Tarkwa, the ongoing Budo Junction to Bogoso Junction road project, and the rehabilitation of the 19-kilometre Awudua Junction to Awudua road completed nearly a decade ago.
On education, he pointed to the construction of a 360-bed girls’ dormitory at Hunni-Valley Senior High Technical School, noting that female students make up approximately 68 percent of the school’s population.
The Foundation also referenced the construction of the Tarkwa and Aboso Stadium in 2024 — a 16.2 million dollar facility with a seating capacity of 8,400 and home to Premier League side Medeama SC — as a tangible example of its community investment.
Yakubu further argued that the benefits of mining should be measured beyond infrastructure, pointing to the economic activity generated for local traders and vendors whose livelihoods are supported by the presence of the mine and its associated activities.
He urged journalists and the public to visit beneficiary communities directly rather than drawing conclusions from what he described as politically motivated commentary in urban media spaces.
The debate over the Tarkwa mine lease renewal is expected to gain further momentum in the months ahead as the government weighs considerations around local development, environmental responsibility, and the broader investment climate in Ghana’s mining sector.
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