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Former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Ade-Coker, opined that Ghana’s inability to have absolute control over its natural resources is worrying and does not speak well of the county’s rich resources.
Speaking with Saddick Adams on the Angel Morning Show on Thursday, March 27, 2025, he believes the situation should be national concerns for all because having seeing individuals and private entities often having control of these resources is appalling.
“If you compare Ghana to South Africa, they mine gold, but if you go to Johannesburg, it is like you are in Europe; when you are in Obuasi or Tarkwa, you feel you are in some 18th-century jungle, that was the structures the Americans used.”
Ade Coker criticized the current legal framework that imposes a mere 2.5% royalty on gross production for extractive industries, arguing that it is insufficient. He suggested increasing this to a minimum of 5%, saying;
“We do not benefit from the galamsey and they end up destroying our environment,” he said on Angel TV.
Reflecting on Ghana’s history, he noted that at independence, the country had control over the Ashanti Gold and had about 45% ownership before Kwame Nkrumah left office.
He pointed out that former President John Agyekum Kufuor sold off the remaining 3% stake when he took power. He added, “The country has only 2 to 3% shares in the oil field.”
Ade Coker stressed the urgent need for Ghana to reassess its approach to its natural resources and reclaim its rightful stake, noting that “We have to seriously reset this country.”
