The Africa Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (ACEES) has raised concerns over persistent shortfalls in mineral revenue transfers to mining districts, warning that delayed and incomplete disbursements continue to undermine local development and deny mining communities the benefits of the country’s natural resource wealth.
The concerns emerged during the presentation of a research report titled “Assessing Compliance, Transparency and Accountability of Mineral Revenue Transfers to Subnational Authorities in Ghana (2019–2023): The Case of Obuasi East Municipal.” The study assessed the governance, allocation, and utilization of mineral revenues at the subnational level and identified significant weaknesses in Ghana’s mineral revenue transfer system.
Presenting the findings, the researchers revealed that although Obuasi East Municipal was entitled to GH₵1,554,685 in mineral royalties in 2023, it received only GH₵492,636, representing just 31.7% of the amount due. The resulting shortfall of more than GH₵1 million deprived the municipality of resources that could have been invested in critical infrastructure and public services, including schools, roads, and healthcare facilities.
The report also identified recurring delays in statutory transfers, discrepancies between company declarations and municipal records, and weaknesses in reconciliation processes, all of which continue to undermine transparency, accountability, and effective local governance.
ACEES called on the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL), the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), and other relevant state institutions to address the systemic causes of these revenue shortfalls and ensure that all statutory mineral transfers are disbursed fully and on time. The organization further urged the Auditor-General to strengthen oversight by recovering outstanding balances identified through reconciliation exercises, enforcing sanctions where appropriate, and promoting regular independent audits and public disclosure of mineral revenue transfers.
The research was conducted by ACEES with support from the Building Resilience Against Climate and Environmental Shocks (BRACE) Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by A Rocha Ghana, NDF, and WACAM. The findings are expected to contribute to ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability, and equitable distribution of mineral revenues, ensuring that mining host communities receive their fair share of the benefits generated from Ghana’s extractive sector.