Ghana is expected to replace a mining bill capping new leases at 15 years with a version setting a 20-year limit, Reuters reported on 9 October 2026, citing three sources.
Two senior government officials and a mining executive told the news agency that the revised Minerals and Mining Bill, 2026, would raise the cap to 20 years. A mines ministry official told Reuters the shorter term had been a mistake in the document sent to Parliament. None of the sources said when the new version would go before lawmakers.
Lease length goes to the heart of mining investment. A shorter term gives companies less time to recover the cost of building a mine before they must seek renewal. Current law allows leases of up to 30 years. The draft laid in Parliament would have capped new leases at 15 years or the projected life of the mine, whichever is shorter.
The 20-year figure is not new. Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah set it as government policy in a statement on 15 July 2026. That reversed a 15-year cap officials had floated during consultations in July 2025. The bill was laid and gazetted on 26 May, before his statement, and it carried the shorter term.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has pushed back on how the bill has been reported. In a rejoinder on 7 October, it challenged a 30 September Reuters report that said the bill would give the state special share rights in mining companies. The chamber said the mines minister already holds that power under Section 60 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). It said the new bill largely carries the power over, but with tougher penalties for companies that fail to comply.
Ken Ashigbey, the chamber’s chief executive, said talks with the authorities had produced “good compromise positions”, including the 20-year term. He said the industry would take its remaining concerns to Parliament.
The mines ministry and the Minerals Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
