During the Homowo celebration by the Ga State, the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) received a royal commendation when the board and management paid a courtesy call to the palace of the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, who praised the board, management and staff of MIIF for what he described as impressive financial performance.
The visit, led by Board Chairman, Richard Kwame Asante, and the CEO, Justina Nelson, came ahead of the festival and served as both a courtesy and a measure of accountability.
The numbers explain why. MIIF recorded an audited profit of GH¢1.1 billion in 2025 and audited royalty inflows to the fund was GH¢5.4 billion.
In the first half of 2026 alone, it received GH¢5.39 billion in mineral royalty receipts; this compares favourably with the half-year 2025, which was GHc2 billion.
It is instructive to note that MIIF performed much better, even though the allocation of royalties to the fund was reduced from 77.6 per cent to two per cent in April 2025.
For a fund created to ensure Ghana derives maximum benefit from its mineral resources, those figures are not merely accounting entries.
They prove that with the right strategy, discipline and governance, natural resource wealth can be converted into real value for the present and future generations.
When MIIF was established, the expectation was clear: go beyond collecting royalties and dividends.
Invest, grow and build a portfolio that will outlast any single mine or commodity cycle.
The Ga Mantse's commendation suggests that the vision is taking shape.
A profit of GH¢1.1 billion in one year signals prudent investment decisions, cost management, and active portfolio oversight.
Additionally, GH¢5.39 billion in royalties in six months shows that the mining sector, despite the global volatility, remains the cornerstone of our economy — and that the systems to capture that value are working.
It is also a testament to leadership that has chosen long-term thinking over short-term spending.
The courtesy call on the Ga Mantse was symbolic yet significant.
Traditional authorities are custodians of the land — the very source of our minerals.
Too often, discussions about mining benefits end in Accra and the mining communities.
Mrs Justina Nelson’s reiteration of MIIF’s commitment to work with traditional authorities is, therefore, important.
If mineral wealth is to create lasting value, traditional leaders must be part of the conversation about how revenues are invested, how communities are developed and how future generations are protected.
Homowo is a festival of remembrance, thanksgiving and planning for the future.
It is fitting that MIIF chose this moment to engage the Ga State.
It sends a message: the wealth beneath our soil must translate into food on our tables, schools for our children and opportunities in our towns.
Looking at the bigger picture, Ghana’s story with natural resources has been mixed.
We have had boom periods, followed by little to show for them.
The challenge with mineral revenue is not only how much we earn, but what we do with it.
Numbers on a balance sheet matter, but citizens feel the impact in clinics, on our roads, in jobs and in skills.
MIIF should work with the government, assemblies and traditional authorities to ensure that investments have a visible footprint in communities, especially in mining areas that bear the environmental cost of extraction.
MIIF’s performance offers lessons. Professional boards matter.
A clear mandate matters. Insulating management from political interference matters.
When a fund is allowed to operate on commercial principles with public oversight, it can deliver.
The GH¢5.39 billion in royalties over half a year also reminds the government of its responsibility.
These are not “extra” funds.
They belong to Ghanaians. Budgeting must prioritise them for productive sectors — education, health, industrialisation — rather than recurrent consumption.
Homowo is about planting, harvesting and sharing. It is about ensuring that this year’s toil becomes next year’s food. In the same way, MIIF’s job is to plant today’s mineral revenue so that tomorrow’s Ghana can harvest.
The Ga Mantse’s commendation is both encouragement and a charge: “continue delivering for the good of Ghana.”
That means investing in Ghanaian businesses that can grow, list on the stock exchange and create jobs.
It means taking calculated risks in exploration, processing and technology so that we capture more value across the value chain.
We must, as a nation, commit to turning every cedi of mineral wealth into schools, hospitals, factories and opportunities.
That is how we honour the land.
That is how we honour the future.
And that is how we ensure that when the next generation asks what we did with our gold, manganese, bauxite and oil, we can answer: we invested it well.
