China, the United States, and several other countries have urged Ghana to abandon its plan to increase the gold mining royalty rate from 5% to 12% of revenue. Accra intends to introduce a sliding tax scale depending on precious metal prices, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.
According to the agency, diplomatic missions of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and South Africa have also joined the pressure on the Ghanaian government. They met with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and submitted a joint document outlining their position, seeking further consultations with the Minister of Finance.
"I have never seen the diplomatic community unite like this before. The heads of mission expressed concern that operating conditions for mines would become difficult," a senior mining industry representative told Reuters.
Major gold mining companies, including American Newmont, South African Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti, as well as Chinese Zijin, Chifeng, and Shandong Gold, have filed official protests.
The Ghana-China Mining Industry Association warned that the new rates could jeopardize the profitability of several mines.
The new royalty system is intended to increase Ghana's revenues from record-high gold prices. The changes could come into effect as early as next week if not revised.
In December of last year, the Bank of Ghana reported that the government would reform the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP) in 2026 to improve efficiency in the gold mining sector. The Ghana Chamber of Mines criticized the planned fiscal regime changes, which include increasing the gold revenue royalty from 5% to 12%.
In October 2025, the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) reported that since the beginning of the year, Ghana had exported approximately 82 tons of gold from small-scale mining operations, valued at $8.06 billion. Compared to 2024 figures, gold export revenues nearly doubled due to industry reforms.
In April of last year, Ghanaian authorities banned foreigners from trading gold on the domestic market and exporting the precious metal, revoked all licenses for the sale and purchase of artisanal gold, and established a new licensing system.
These measures were taken to combat illegal small-scale gold mining, also known as "galamsey." About 40% of Ghana's total gold production comes from small mines, as opposed to concessions operated by international companies. Approximately 70-80% of small mines were operating without licenses.