Accra: Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, a mining company operating in Ghana, has marked its first year of operations with an economic injection of more than GHS7 billion into the national economy for the 2025 fiscal year. The milestone positions the company as a key economic partner in Ghana's mining sector.
According to Ghana News Agency, a statement signed by Mr. Leon Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, highlighted that the contribution covered direct fiscal payments to the State, local procurement, employment, community development, and broader socio-economic investments. The achievement reflected a year of operational execution underpinned by a deliberate commitment to responsible mining and local value creation.
The company paid GHS2.18 billion in direct fiscal contributions to the State, comprising corporate income tax, mineral royalties, statutory levies, employee taxes, and Government free-carried interest. Corporate income tax, paid at the statutory rate of 32.5 percent, amounted to GHS1.41 billion, while mineral royalties, calculated at five percent of gold revenue, totaled GHS432 million. The Forestry Levy, charged at 0.6 percent of revenue, amounted to GHS52.7 million. PAYE (employee income tax) stood at GHS138.9 million, withholding tax including VAT withholding tax amounted to GHS93.8 million, while Government free-carried interest was GHS51.6 million, bringing total direct fiscal contributions to GHS2.18 billion.
Beyond statutory payments, the company's most significant in-country economic impact was through local procurement, which totaled GHS4.193 billion in 2025. Goods and services were sourced predominantly from Ghanaian suppliers, reinforcing domestic supply chains and supporting local enterprises. Strategic sourcing from State-owned institutions, including the Volta River Authority, GRIDCo, and GOIL, further strengthened national institutions.
Zijin Golden Ridge Limited sustained a total workforce of 1,235 in 2025, comprising 760 direct employees, 457 contractor employees, and 18 national service personnel, at an annual labor cost of GHS606 million. Community participation in employment was notable, with 597 individuals recruited from host communities. Of this number, 371 were directly employed by the company, while 226 were engaged through third-party contractors. This reflected a deliberate effort to ensure that economic opportunities created by mining activities extended to communities closest to the operations.
Structured community investment exceeded GHS15.5 million, delivered through the Zijin Akyem Development Foundation (GHS14.2 million) and the Ntiamoah Foundation (GHS1.26 million), both designed to ensure predictable, accountable, and locally driven development outcomes. In addition, the company invested GHS38 million in socio-economic interventions, including education, healthcare, housing, agro-industry, agriculture, sanitation, resettlement support, alternative livelihoods, and heritage and cultural preservation.
Further institutional support was provided through the Mineral Income Investment Fund scholarship scheme, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, and sponsorship of World Environment Day activities. The statement noted, "In one year of operations, we have demonstrated that responsible mining and meaningful local value creation are not competing priorities; they are the same priority. Every payment, every contract awarded to a Ghanaian supplier, and every community member employed is evidence of that commitment."