‘Gold cannot save you at 2AM’ — GMTF Administrator challenges mining giants to invest in lives
Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has challenged Ghana’s mining industry to redefine its approach to corporate social responsibility by investing more in healthcare systems in mining communities.
Speaking at the National Mining Dialogue 2026 in Accra on the theme “Rethinking the Social License to Operate,” Ms. Darko-Opoku told mining executives, investors and policymakers that the country’s greatest resource is its people.
“You do not extract value from the soil. You extract value through people,” she said.
She stressed that when the health of the population deteriorates, every sector of the economy, including mining, is ultimately affected.
Ms. Darko-Opoku used a medical emergency scenario to challenge the perception that wealth can shield people from Ghana’s healthcare challenges.
She noted that in the event of a sudden heart attack in the middle of the night, even wealthy families may not have enough time to transport a patient abroad for treatment.
“At 2:00 AM, money cannot buy time. In a medical emergency, your wealth does not save you; the infrastructure nearest to you,” she said.
According to her, Ghana’s healthcare challenges affect people across different social and economic backgrounds.
She recounted the difficulties faced by families who spend years building their livelihoods only to exhaust their savings after a serious diagnosis such as prostate cancer.
The situation, she said, is even more challenging for families outside Accra who may have to travel long distances because the specialised equipment required for treatment is unavailable in their communities.
By the time patients reach facilities capable of providing the necessary care, she said, “the family is financially ruined, the patient is significantly weaker, and the cost of treatment has doubled.”
Healthcare Gaps
Ms. Darko-Opoku also disclosed findings from a nationwide needs assessment conducted by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund across teaching, regional and referral hospitals.
She said the assessment revealed that Ghana’s public tertiary healthcare sector had only two functional MRI machines, five mammography machines and two public radiotherapy machines for cancer treatment.
She further noted that the entire northern sector had only two practising cardiologists without the necessary equipment to serve millions of people.
She said the consequences of these shortages extend beyond statistics and ultimately affect the lives and livelihoods of Ghanaians.
Mining Companies Urged to Go Beyond Traditional CSR
Turning her attention to the mining sector, Ms. Darko-Opoku urged companies to move beyond conventional corporate social responsibility projects such as roads, schools and boreholes.
She acknowledged the contributions made by mining companies to host communities but argued that the industry must now consider long-term investments in specialised healthcare.
“A true Social License cannot simply mean, ‘The community tolerates our presence.’ It must mean, ‘Because this company operates here, our people live longer, healthier lives,’” she said.
She reminded mining companies that communities within their operational areas comprise families whose lives could be transformed through improved access to specialised medical care.
She challenged companies to be able to tell their host communities:
“We didn’t just extract gold from your soil. We built the regional Cancer Centre that saved your mother. We installed the Cath Lab that saved your chief.”
“That is not CSR,” she declared. “That is an unshakable, generational Social License.”
Ms. Darko-Opoku called on mining companies to partner with the GMTF to identify healthcare needs within their operational areas, invest in critical medical equipment, support the training of specialists and develop healthcare infrastructure that would continue serving communities beyond the lifespan of mining operations.
Ghana’s Greatest Resource Is the Ghanaian
The GMTF Administrator also urged corporate leaders to consider the legacy they would leave behind beyond their financial performance and mineral production.
She said that years from now, communities might not remember the amount of gold extracted or the profits generated, but they would remember hospitals that saved lives and companies that provided equipment and support when people needed them most.
She said families would remember the facilities that saved their loved ones, while doctors would remember organisations that provided them with the tools required to save lives.
“The gold beneath our soil is valuable. But Ghana’s greatest resource has never been underground. Ghana’s greatest resource is the Ghanaian,” she said.
Ms. Darko-Opoku called on corporate Ghana, particularly the mining industry, to help build a legacy measured not only by the minerals extracted from the earth but also by the lives saved and communities strengthened.
“Let us rethink the Social License. Let us build a legacy of health, dignity and survival. Because when life is on the line, none of us can stand alone.”