Fatalities in Ghana’s mining industry fell by more than half in 2025, with the number of deaths dropping from seven in 2024 to three, the Ghana Chamber of Mines has disclosed.
Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said the 57 per cent reduction reflected the impact of stronger investment in leadership, worker training, emergency preparedness and risk management across the industry.
He disclosed this at Akoon during the Zone One Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition, held on the theme “Safety First, Safety Always.”
Dr Ashigbey, however, cautioned mining companies against becoming complacent because of the improvement, stressing that the industry must continue working towards eliminating fatalities altogether.
“We should acknowledge this progress, but we must never allow progress to become complacent. Three deaths are too many,” he said.
Despite the decline in fatalities, the industry recorded 34 serious accidents and 210 first-aid accidents during the same period.
According to the Chamber CEO, the figures represented more than statistics because each incident had consequences for workers, families and communities.
He said the industry’s ultimate objective remained zero fatalities and zero harm, requiring continuous improvement in behavioural safety, hazard identification, risk management and emergency preparedness.
Dr Ashigbey also called for greater attention to the safety of contractors, noting that workplace risks affected all workers regardless of their employment status.
“Risk does not distinguish between permanent employees and contractors,” he said.
He described the inter-mines safety competition as an important platform for strengthening emergency response capabilities and encouraging a culture of safety across the industry.
Mining safety must extend beyond the mine
Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine Manager, Dr Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, urged workers to make safety a personal responsibility rather than a requirement imposed by supervision.
She said employees should do the right thing because lives depended on their actions, not simply because they were being monitored.
Dr Kuutor said Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine viewed safety as extending beyond the boundaries of its operations because the company operated within communities whose wellbeing was closely connected to the mine’s activities.
She noted that roads, emergency services, families and young people in host communities were all part of the wider safety ecosystem.
She said the mine therefore continued to support safety awareness and emergency preparedness in host communities through collaboration with traditional leaders, emergency services, security agencies and other stakeholders.
“When communities prioritise safety, it protects families, preserves livelihoods and makes development more sustainable,” she said.
Dr Kuutor added that responsible mining should not be measured only by the quantity of gold produced, but also by the quality of life protected and the development of communities hosting mining operations.
UMaT to introduce compulsory first-aid competition
Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Prof Bernard Kumi-Boateng, announced plans for the university to introduce an inter-faculty first-aid competition.
He said participation would become compulsory for all students from the next academic year.
“We are starting next academic year, and it will be compulsory for every single student,” he said.
Heath Goldfields tops safety competition
At the end of the Zone One Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition, Heath Goldfields community emerged winners with 98 points.
The Ghana Manganese Company Limited community placed second with 97.5 points, followed by Asante Gold Corporation with 96.5 points.
Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa Mine, finished fourth with 91 points, while AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine placed fifth with 81.5 points.
The results highlighted the industry’s growing emphasis on first-aid preparedness and emergency response as part of efforts to achieve a safer mining environment.
