At a high-level stakeholders’ forum on sustainable mineral wealth in Accra, the Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) delivered a passionate call for urgent reforms in Ghana’s extractive sector, declaring that it was time for mining communities to receive their fair share of the nation’s mineral wealth.

Addressing a packed auditorium of government officials, diplomats, traditional leaders, civil society, and private sector actors, the MDF boss did not mince words. She lamented that despite Ghana’s vast gold, bauxite, and manganese deposits, many mining communities remain trapped in poverty, lacking clean water, healthcare, education, and jobs.

“Our rivers are poisoned, our forests are vanishing, and our children are suffering,” she said, highlighting the devastating impact of illegal mining. “This is not development. This is destruction.”

But her message was also one of hope. With the return of the visionary leader who established the MDF in 2016, the Administrator announced a bold new direction for the Fund—one that prioritizes clean water systems, modern schools, healthcare, fish farms, vocational training, and economic empowerment for 100,000 Ghanaians annually.

She called on all stakeholders—government, mining firms, traditional leaders, and civil society—to rise above politics and profit to deliver justice to communities who bear the burden of mining. The Administrator urged transparency, inclusion, and swift disbursements, while calling for reforms to outdated policies restricting the Fund’s reach.

The forum marks the beginning of a national initiative dubbed “Re-Imagine Ghana,” which will pilot a model mining city focused on shared prosperity and sustainability.

“The minerals will one day run out,” she concluded, “but what must remain is a legacy of thriving communities and hope for future generations.”