Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has raised concerns about a pattern of seizing Ghanaian-owned mines, citing Northern Ashanti Mines, Adamus Resources, and Narawa Mines as examples. He made these allegations on Joy FM's Top Story on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Bentil accused the Minerals Commission of acting against local mining companies in ways that undermine the government's indigenisation drive. He urged the government to intervene and ensure the law is properly followed when mining rights are revoked.
The dispute centers on the takeover of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited's Konongo mine by the Minerals Commission. Northern Ashanti Mines claims it invested over $100 million in developing the site after acquiring it in 2019. The company disputes the Commission's claim that it owed $8.3 million and breached its statutory obligations. Bentil put the company's investment figure at around $200 million, arguing that mining is a long-term, capital-intensive business that should not be disrupted by abrupt regulatory action.
Bentil also raised questions about the Adamus Resources case, alleging that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, issued a letter that varied instructions previously given by the President. In the case of Narawa Mines, he alleged that armed men had entered the mine and that someone had been shot dead. Bentil described the incident as a serious criminal and regulatory matter requiring investigation.
Ghana's indigenisation policy aims to expand local ownership and participation in a mining sector historically dominated by foreign companies. Bentil argued that revoking licences from Ghanaian-owned firms while citing indigenisation as a national priority sends a contradictory signal. This could discourage local and foreign investors from putting capital into Ghanaian mining ventures. The hundreds of millions of dollars invested by firms like Northern Ashanti Mines were unlikely to have been raised domestically.
The Minerals Commission is the state regulator responsible for granting, monitoring, and revoking mining rights under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. The accusations come as Ghana runs an active military crackdown against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey. The government is also pushing ahead with reforms to its gold sector through the Ghana Gold Board, the state body overseeing gold trading and export.
Bentil called for the legal disputes to be allowed to run their course through the courts, noting that injunctions exist in some of the cases. He questioned why mining assets were taken over while litigation was ongoing. Bentil noted that the Minerals and Mining Act allows leaseholders a 120-day window, followed by a further period, to remedy an alleged breach before revocation. He asked whether the Commission had followed this process.
No timeline has been given by the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, or government for responding to Bentil's claims or for resolving the Northern Ashanti Mines, Adamus Resources, or Narawa Mines disputes. The allegations have raised concerns about the regulatory environment for mining in Ghana and the impact on local and foreign investment.
Key points
- IMANI Africa's Kofi Bentil alleges a trend of Ghanaian politicians backing the seizure of local mines.
- The disputes center on the takeover of mines by the Minerals Commission, citing breaches of statutory obligations.
- The allegations have raised concerns about the regulatory environment for mining in Ghana and the impact on local and foreign investment.
