August Law Ghana

06/03/2026

Happy Independence Day to Ghana!

06/03/2026

WESTERN, CHINESE DIPLOMATS & MINING CEOS, PUSH BACK ON GHANA’S GOLD ROYALTY HIKE



- China, the U.S. and other Western governments have mounted an unusually coordinated push to get Ghana to halt a gold royalty hike they say could harm some of the ‌world's biggest miners, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter and a letter from an industry body.

- Africa's largest gold producer wants to replace its fixed 5% royalty with a sliding scale between 5% and 12% linked to bullion prices – part of an effort to capture more revenue from gold's run to successive historic highs.

- The Miners said the upper bands of the new regime, which could take effect as early as next week unless amended or withdrawn, would make Ghana one ⁠of the continent's most expensive jurisdictions and could squeeze margins.

- Ghana has agreed to cut an existing levy to ease passage of the reform, as reported by Reuters, but mining companies say the proposed scale remains too aggressive and have submitted lower counter-rates.

- In addition to U.S. and Chinese pressure, diplomatic missions from the UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa have also intervened, marking what three senior industry executives described as an unusually high-level response to a fiscal proposal.

- "This is the first time I've seen the diplomatic community get involved at this scale," a senior industry source said.

- Representatives from the missions met Ghana's lands and natural resources minister this month and presented a joint document outlining concerns, two people with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

- Global mining CEOs have also privately ⁠pushed back. Leaders of Newmont, Gold Fields, AngloGold Ashanti and Perseus wrote or delivered concerns directly to the lands minister in December and January.

- Chinese-owned mines, including Zijin, Chifeng and Shandong Gold have filed formal protests.

- A letter from the Association of China–Ghana Mining, copied to Beijing's ambassador and ⁠seen by Reuters, warned the proposal could threaten the viability of Zijin's Akyem, Chifeng's Wassa and Shandong's Cardinal gold mines.

China, the U.S. and other Western governments have mounted an unusually coordinated ​push to get Ghana to halt a gold royalty hike they say could harm some of the ‌world's biggest miners, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter and a letter from an industry body.

24/02/2026

BLUE GOLD DROPS LAWSUITS IN GHANA, SHIFTS FOCUS TO INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION



- Blue Gold Limited announced the withdrawal of lawsuits pending in Ghanaian courts and will not pursue additional legal action in Ghana, according to a press release statement.

- The stock has declined 81% over the past year to $2.22, trading with high volatility amid the ongoing legal uncertainty, according to InvestingPro data.

- The company stated it will concentrate its legal resources on international arbitration proceedings under the bilateral investment treaty between the United Kingdom and Ghana.

- Blue Gold, through its subsidiary Blue Gold Holdings Limited, is seeking damages exceeding $1 billion alongside Future Global Resources Limited, the previous owner of the mine.

- The potential recovery is significant for a company with a market capitalization of just $81.5 million and a "WEAK" financial health score from InvestingPro, which tracks 13 additional key tips for BGL investors.

- The arbitration recently held a Case Management Conference to address procedural matters.

- The company stated it will provide updates on the conference outcomes and material developments as permitted under arbitral procedures and regulatory requirements.

- Blue Gold said it remains committed to pursuing recovery of its claims through arbitration while seeking what it described as a constructive resolution with the Government of Ghana where possible.

- The company describes itself as a gold development company focused on acquiring mining assets across global jurisdictions.

https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/blue-gold-withdraws-ghana-lawsuits-to-focus-on-arbitration-93CH-4519821

20/02/2026

SOUTH AFRICA’S GOLD FIELDS TO FORMALLY HAND OVER OWNERSHIP AND OPERATORSHIP OF THE DAMANG MINE TO GHANAIAN AUTHORITIES IN APRIL 2026.



- The decision follows the government’s move not to renew the mine’s lease after its expiration in April 2025. Instead, authorities opted for the asset to revert to state ownership.

- Ghana’s mining laws, which provide the government full discretion over the future of mining assets once leases expire.

- The Damang mine is best known as one of Ghana’s major open-pit gold mines and a long-standing contributor to the country’s position as Africa’s leading gold producer.

- Operated by South Africa’s Gold Fields since the 1990s, it has produced millions of ounces of gold and played a key role in Ghana’s mining economy.

- Located in Ghana’s Western Region, Damang has supported export revenues, jobs, and foreign investment, making it one of the country’s important industrial gold operations.

- Gold Fields was granted a 12-month extension to continue operations during the transition period, a measure the company said was designed to ensure a “safe and seamless” handover while authorities prepared to assume control.

- Speaking during a media roundtable on the company’s 2025 full-year results, CEO Mike Fraser confirmed that Gold Fields had applied to renew the lease but accepted the government’s decision after it indicated a preference for Ghanaian ownership.

- However, the company said it has not received formal communication regarding the appointment of a long-term operator. Any future operator would need to be selected by the government and granted a new mining lease, a process that could require parliamentary approval.

- The transfer of the mine to state control highlights Ghana’s growing willingness to assert greater authority over its gold sector, as the country seeks to maximize national benefit from its position as Africa’s leading gold producer.

- Gold Fields’ exit makes it the first major foreign miner in recent years to relinquish a producing asset following lease expiry, underscoring a broader shift in resource governance that could reshape the operating landscape for international mining firms in Ghana.

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/south-african-gold-miner-becomes-first-major-casualty-of-ghanas-tighter-resource/ewn2lpn

12/02/2026

New Bank of Ghana Rules to Manage Forex Volatility


- The Bank of Ghana has reminded the Ghanaian public that unlicensed or unauthorized dealings in forex activities (black market transactions), pricing/quoting, advertising, issuing receipts, receiving and/ or making payments for goods and services in foreign currency (particularly the United States Dollars (USD)) in Ghana, are strictly prohibited under the Foreign Exchange Act,2006 (Act 723).

28/01/2026

TIKTOK SETTLES LANDMARK SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION LAWSUIT JUST BEFORE TRIAL

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- TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed.

- The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children.

- A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

- Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

- At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out.

- She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

- Joseph VanZandt, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff, said in a statement Tuesday that TikTok remains a defendant in the other personal injury cases, and that the trial will proceed as scheduled against Meta and YouTube.

- KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts.

- Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.

- This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies’ First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.

TikTok has agreed to settle in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed.

23/01/2026

DATA SECURITY: TIK TOK FINALIZES DEAL TO FORM JOINT VENTURE TO OPERATE IN THE U.S.


- TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American entity, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the United States that has been in discussion for years on the platform now used by more than 200 million Americans.

- The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture.

- The new version will operate under “defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurances for U.S. users,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

- Adam Presser, who previously worked as TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety, will lead the new venture as its CEO, alongside a seven-member, majority-American board of directors that includes TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew.

- The deal ends years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed — and President Joe Biden signed — a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of China’s ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the law’s January 2025 deadline.

- For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration sought an agreement for the sale of the company.

- Apart from an emphasis on data protection, with U.S. user data being stored locally in a system run by Oracle, the joint venture will also focus on TikTok’s algorithm.

- The content recommendation formula, which feeds users specific videos tailored to their preferences and interests, will be retrained, tested and updated on U.S. user data, the company said in its announcement.

- The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law.

- Under the terms of this deal, ByteDance would license the algorithm to the U.S. entity for retraining. American TikTok users can continue using the same app.

TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American entity, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the U.S. that has been in discussion for years.

18/01/2026

MINING: GIADEC, METALLOID & GIBDLC SIGN US$60M MEDIUM TERM FACILITY TO ADVANCE NYINAHIN BAUXITE MINE



- The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), Metalloïd Resources Investment – LLC-S.P.C, and Ghana Integrated Bauxite Development Limited Company (GIBDLC) have executed a US$60 million medium-term facility agreement to accelerate mining activities at Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region.

- The agreement, announced in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, January 14, forms part of GIADEC’s broader strategy to develop an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana, anchored on the exploration and commercialisation of the country’s estimated 920 million tonnes of bauxite reserves.

- Under the arrangement, the funding will be deployed initially to support mining activities across hills one to three of the Nyinahin concession, with production expected to be scaled up progressively over time.

- The facility will underpin the development of a bauxite mine at Nyinahin, in line with GIADEC’s long-term vision of establishing a fully integrated aluminium value chain in Ghana, from bauxite extraction to downstream processing.

- The project is projected to create more than 1,500 jobs, enhance local value addition, and contribute significantly to national economic growth.

- Chief Executive Officer of GIADEC, Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah, described the partnership as a major milestone in Ghana’s industrialisation drive.

- Ali Bin Jerais, Chief Executive Officer of Metalloïd Resources Investment, said the facility reflected strong investor confidence in Ghana’s aluminium development agenda.

- He added that Metalloïd was committed to unlocking sustainable value from Ghana’s bauxite reserves through phased development, disciplined investment, and adherence to international best-practice mining standards.

- “Beyond production growth, this project is about building local capability, creating meaningful employment, and laying the foundations for a fully integrated aluminium value chain that delivers enduring economic impact for Ghana,” Mr Bin Jerais said.

- The Nyinahin project is expected to play a central role in Ghana’s ambition to leverage its natural resources to drive industrial development, job creation, and export growth.

The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), Metalloïd Resources Investment – LLC-S.P.C, and Ghana Integrated Bauxite Development Limited Company (GIBDLC) have executed a US$60 million facility agreement to accelerate mining activities at Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region.

17/01/2026

BENIN OFFERS CITIZENSHIP TO AFRICAN DIASPORA WHILE APPOINTING SPIKE LEE AS AMBASSADOR TO AFRICAN AMERICANS.


- The "My Afro Origins" programme is an important piece of President Patrice Talon's plan to raise his country's profile, including among prospective tourists, by highlighting its prominent role in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people.

- The first naturalisation ceremonies have coincided with the unveiling of projects intended to bring that history to life, including a new "Door of No Return" in Ouidah, a common departure point for transatlantic trafficking, and a replica of an 18th-century ship that transported enslaved people with sculptures inside representing nearly 300 captives. Both are still under construction.

- The government also plans to open this year a new International Museum of Memory and Slavery at the former residence of Francisco Felix de Souza, a prominent trafficker of enslaved people in the 18th and 19th centuries.

- Filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lee Lewis were last year named ambassadors for the programme to the African-American community.

- In July 2025 American R&B star Ciara became one of the first beneficiaries of Beninese citizenship. She performed last week at a concert in Ouidah as part of an annual festival devoted to voodoo, playing hits such as "Level Up" during a set that ran until 3 a.m.

- Her husband, American football quarterback Russell Wilson, attended and said he was hoping to become a citizen himself "real soon".

- Around 50 people have received Beninese citizenship since the "My Afro Origins" programme launched last year, according to the Justice Ministry, which is sorting through thousands of applications and receives about 100 more each day.

- To qualify, applicants need to be 18 years old and produce documents or a DNA test proving their ties to the continent, and they cannot be citizens of another African country, Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari told Reuters.

- Benin's programme is similar to an initiative in Ghana that, since 2016, has granted citizenship to 684 members of the African diaspora, according to Kofi Okyere Darko, presidential adviser on diaspora affairs.

- CARICOM, the regional bloc of the Caribbean, has endorsed a "right of return" for descendants of enslaved people, as part of a reparations plan adopted in 2014.

Isaline Attelly, a native of the Caribbean island of Martinique, had been living in Benin for nearly a year before she learned that her family's connection to the West African country went back much further.

17/01/2026

AFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS, EU AND SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS SIGN HISTORIC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT


- The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.

- The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s humid capital of Asunción marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing.

- It also sends a message that South America keeps diverse trade and diplomatic relations even as U.S. President Donald Trump declares dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who head’s the EU’s executive branch, said “the geopolitical importance of this agreement cannot be overstated” amid revived skepticism about the benefits of free trade.

- As the ceremony got underway, Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European nations over their opposition to American control of Greenland.

- “We choose fair trade over tariffs. We choose a productive long-term partnership over isolation,” von der Leyen declared at the ceremony attended by the presidents of Mercosur members Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and by the foreign minister of the trading bloc’s biggest economy, Brazil.

- Pushed by South America’s renowned cattle-raising countries and Europe’s industrial sectors craving new markets for cars and machines, the accord creates one of the world’s largest free trade zones and makes shopping cheaper for more than 700 million consumers.

- After decades of delay, the politically explosive deal still must clear one final hurdle: ratification by the European Parliament.

- Powerful protectionist lobbies on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly European farmers scared of the possible dumping of cheap South American agricultural imports, have long sought to scupper the agreement.

- Although the accord eliminates more than 90% tariffs on goods and services between the European and Mercosur markets, some tariffs will progressively be cut over 10-15 years and key farm products like beef will be limited by strict quotas in a bid to assuage European farmers’ fears.

The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries have formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement.

17/01/2026

FINTECH: MASTERCARD, VISA & REVOLUT LOSE LEGAL CHALLENGE AGAINST BRITISH REGULATOR OVER PLANS TO CAP CROSS-BORDER CARD FEES


- Mastercard, Visa and Revolut brought a case at London's High Court after the Payments System Regulator (PSR) said in December 2024 that it would consult on whether to introduce a cap on fees charged when European consumers buy online from UK businesses.

- The PSR – which Britain said last year it would abolish to cut red tape in favour of growth – had previously set out concerns that Mastercard and Visa had raised fees to an "unduly high level".

- Mastercard, Visa and Revolut argued that the PSR did not have the power to impose price caps, the level and timing of which have not yet been decided.

- Judge John Cavanagh, however, rejected the challenge and ruled that the PSR does have the power to impose its proposed price caps on interchange fees.

- Visa previously said it disputed the PSR's findings and said price caps can "negatively impact the value people and businesses receive" from card payments.

- PSR managing director David Geale welcomed the decision which he said "confirms our powers to ensure card payment costs are fair for UK businesses and consumers".

- "This enables us to drive forward the work we have been doing to ensure cross-border interchange fees are set at an appropriate level," he added.

Mastercard , Visa and British fintech Revolut on Thursday lost a legal challenge to Britain's payments regulator over its plans to introduce a cap on cross-border card fees.

17/01/2026

AUSTRALIA: 4.7M TEEN ACCOUNTS DEACTIVATED OVER SOCIAL MEDIA BAN


- Social media companies have collectively deactivated nearly five million accounts belonging to Australian teenagers just a month after a world-first ban on under‑16s took effect.

- The eSafety Commissioner said platforms had so far removed about 4.7 million accounts held by under-16s to comply with a law that went live on December 10.

- The implementation of the ban is being closely watched by regulators worldwide. France, Malaysia and Indonesia have all said they will introduce similar laws, while some European nations and U.S. states are also discussing following Australia.

- The figures represent the first government data on compliance and suggest platforms are taking significant steps to adhere to a law that could see them fined up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) for non-compliance, but does not hold children or their parents liable.

- The tally is far higher than estimates circulated before the law and equates to more than two accounts for every Australian aged 10 to 16, based on population data.

- Meta previously said it took down some 550,000 underage accounts from its Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

- The minimum age rule also applies to Google's YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter. Reddit has said it is complying but is suing the government seeking to overturn the ban.

- Critics of the ban have said it will be difficult to enforce, and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told the press conference some underage accounts remain active and it was too early to declare full compliance.

- All companies that were initially covered by the ban said they would comply.

- Some smaller social media applications reported a surge of downloads in Australia in the run-up to the December rollout, and eSafety said it would monitor what it called migration trends.

Social media companies have collectively deactivated nearly five million accounts belonging to Australian teenagers just a month after a world-first ban on under‑16s took effect, the country's internet regulator said on Friday, a sign the measure has had a swift and sweeping impact.