A statement signed by Mr Leon Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the contribution covered direct fiscal payments to the State, local procurement, employment, community development and broader socio economic investments. It said the achievement reflected a year of operational execution underpinned by a deliberate commitment to responsible mining and local value creation. 

According to the statement, the company paid GH¢2.18 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 per cent, amounted to GH¢1.41 billion, while mineral royalties, calculated at five per cent of gold revenue, totalled GH¢432 million. 

The Forestry Levy, charged at 0.6 per cent of revenue, amounted to GH¢52.7 million. The statement said PAYE (employee income tax) stood at GH¢138.9 million, withholding tax including VAT withholding tax amounted to GH¢93.8 million, while Government free carried interest was GH¢51.6 million, bringing total direct fiscal contributions to GH¢2.18 billion. 

Corporate income tax represented the largest single contribution, while royalty payments reflected prevailing gold prices during the period. Beyond statutory payments, the company’s most significant in country economic impact was through local procurement, which totalled GH¢4.193 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 labour cost of GH¢606 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. The statement said 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 GH¢15.5 million, delivered through the Zijin Akyem Development Foundation (GH¢14.2 million) and the Ntiamoah Foundation (GH¢1.26 million), both designed to ensure predictable, accountable and locally driven development outcomes. In addition, the company invested GH¢38 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. 

“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,” the statement said. “Every payment, every contract awarded to a Ghanaian supplier, and every community member employed is evidence of that commitment.”