KEY POINTS
- Ghana’s EPA issued a pre-closure notice to Cardinal Namdini Mining, which is owned by Shandong Gold, over an alleged unreported tailings spill.
- The regulator is reviewing an inspection report on Gold Fields’ Tarkwa mine, whose lease expires in 2027.
- The EPA is moving from periodic inspections to continuous monitoring, with ESG audits planned across the sector.
Ghana’s environmental regulator has issued a pre-closure notice to Chinese-owned Cardinal Namdini Mining over an alleged accident the company didn’t report. The move is part of a wider crackdown on the country’s mining sector, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Michael Ayamga, deputy chief executive for operations at the Environmental Protection Authority, told Reuters the notice is partly about Cardinal’s alleged failure to quickly report that a tailings pipeline had come apart. The break caused a spill from the system that carries the mine’s waste. Cardinal Namdini is owned by China’s Shandong Gold and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cardinal isn’t the only miner facing pressure. Last week the EPA shut down another Chinese-owned company, Earl International Group, over what Ayamga called a legacy compliance issue tied to illegal gold mining. An Earl spokesperson said the company had dealt with the regulator’s concerns and was cleared to restart Monday under a permit signed Sept. 28.
Ayamga also said the authority fined AngloGold Ashanti’s smaller Iduapriem mine last year for environmental breaches, but he wouldn’t give details. AngloGold did not immediately comment.
Gold Fields’ Tarkwa Mine Under Review
The regulator is studying an inspection report on Gold Fields’ Tarkwa operation to decide whether it needs to take further action with the South African miner, Ayamga said.
Gold Fields said the EPA hasn’t shared any findings.While the company said it learned Sept. 14 that the regulator planned a broad environmental, social, governance and socioeconomic impact assessment at Tarkwa, and it asked for more time to review the scope and get advice.
The company also pointed to its record at the site. It said Tarkwa has held ISO 14001 environmental certification for 23 years and International Cyanide Management Code certification for 18.
A lot rides on the outcome. Tarkwa’s mining lease runs out in 2027, and Gold Fields already lost its smaller Damang mine last year.
Ghana Mining Oversight Gets Tougher
Furthermore Ghana, Africa’s largest gold producer, has been tightening control of the industry to raise more revenue, give Ghanaians a bigger role and improve compliance. The government has raised royalties, expanded local-content rules and is pushing a new mining law that would give the state more oversight and increase Ghanaian ownership.
The EPA is also changing how it works. Ayamga also said the agency is moving from occasional inspections to constant monitoring and enforcement, with environmental, social and governance audits planned across the sector.
“We don’t want to be reactive but proactive,” he said. “We want to move beyond one-off visits and audits to enforcement.”
