DAKAR, April 22 (Reuters) - Ghana's mining regulator has given international companies Newmont (NEM.N), opens new tab, AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N), opens new tab and Chinese-owned Zijin (601899.SS), opens new tab until December 2026 to shift mining operations over to local contractors or face sanctions, according to five sources with direct knowledge of the matter and documents.
Newmont and Zijin currently operate the mines with their own staff. AngloGold Ashanti has a joint venture contractor mining at its smaller Iduapriem gold mine, the company told Reuters on Thursday in response to questions.
Many firms outsourced mining operations before Ghana, Africa's top gold producer, revised local ownership rules in January 2025, requiring miners switch to contract mining.
Under the rules, surface mining must be undertaken by fully Ghanaian-owned firms, while underground mining must be carried out by companies with at least 50% Ghanaian ownership.
Apart from Newmont, Zijin and AngloGold Ashanti’s smaller Iduapriem gold mine, almost all large miners in Ghana have already transitioned to contract mining, two government officials and three mining executives said.
African governments have been tightening mining rules to extract more revenue against a backdrop of rising prices for minerals and metals. Mali ended a near two-year standoff with Barrick (ABX.TO), opens new tab in November over enforcement of its new mining code.
Ghana's Minerals Commission asked Newmont, AngloGold and Zijin to fully comply with the contract mining requirements by December 2026, according to separate letters sent to the companies in October and January that were seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The three companies had separately requested extensions to allow full compliance.
The regulator warned that miners that failed to meet the deadline could face sanctions, the letters showed.
- Exclusive: Ghana directs Newmont, AngloGold, Zijin to shift mining ops to local firms by December, sources say
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Zijin's Ghana unit said it has been engaging with the Minerals Commission since November 2025 to comply with the local content rules, including preparing tenders and technical frameworks for a shift to contract mining, while rolling out new technologies that require initial benchmarking before a full tender process.
AngloGold Ashanti said it already operates contract mining at its Iduapriem mine through a 50/50 joint venture and has begun the process of transitioning fully to a local contractor by the end of the year.
"It is a good option, but we think it should be commercially driven," the source said. "If I can be more efficient, why shouldn’t I mine myself?"
The government sources said the new rules are aimed at building capacity among Ghanaian mining service companies and retaining more value in-country, citing the emergence of Ghanaian firms such as Rocksure and Engineers & Planners.
Local companies have the capacity to take on expanded contract mining roles and the commission will hold their hands to execute, the first government official said.
Miners that fail to comply face "a huge fine for the first step," the second official said. "If they still don't comply, we have the right to shut down the mine."
