Minerals Commission defends Northern Ashanti Mines lease termination over $8.3m debt

The Minerals Commission has defended its termination of the mining leases and prospecting licence of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, formerly Owere Mines, accusing the company of failing to pay more than US$8.3 million in statutory fees over 15 years.

In a statement on October 27, 2026, the Commission said it had "noted with grave concern" an "ongoing media campaign" by the company to solicit public sympathy.

According to the Commission, the company acquired a mining lease covering 595 cadastral blocks in January 2010 and was bound under Section 24 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), to pay Annual Mineral Right (AMR) fees every year.

On 14 April 2025, it said, it issued Notices to Remedy Breach under Section 68(2) of Act 703 and Regulation 200(3) of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176), covering AMR fees for the mining leases from 2010 to 2025 and for the prospecting licences from 2019 to 2025. It put the arrears at US$8,330,000 and US$49,928 respectively.

It added that the company had carried out no meaningful mining for over two years, contrary to Section 69(1).

A year after the notices, on 7 April 2026, it asked the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to approve a termination notice. The Minister approved on 24 April 2026, and the Commission acted on 30 April 2026.

"The Minerals Commission wishes to categorically state that it acted lawfully and followed due process at every stage," the statement said. "The law is the law. Mineral rights are not an inheritance."

The Commission said the rights had reverted to the State without prejudice to the company's liabilities, and that it "shall pursue" the company for all sums owed. It faulted the company for suing the State while resorting to "the court of public opinion", calling that "improper and contemptuous of the judicial process".

The statement follows an operation on October 22, 2026, in which, Minerals Commission officials, accompanied by military personnel, entered the company's Konongo concession to enforce the termination.

Director Fredrick Okine told Citi Newsroom on Tuesday, October 27,: “We have spent money, a lot of money to explore." He cited nearly US$200 million in investment and about 400 workers.

Read the full statement by the Minerals Commission below: