Northern Ashanti Mines challenges lease termination in court, alleges breach of due process
Northern Ashanti Mines Limited has filed an application for judicial review at the High Court in Accra, challenging the termination of its mining lease covering the Konongo area in the Ashanti Region. The application, directed at the Minerals Commission, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and the Attorney-General, seeks to have the decision to terminate the company’s lease declared unlawful and quashed.
The court documents, sighted by Citi Newsroom, identify a letter dated April 30, 2026, signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, as the instrument communicating the termination. The company argues that the decision was taken without lawful authority and in breach of mandatory procedures under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176).
The application comes amid reports of a security operation at the company’s premises on Thursday, October 22, during which military and police personnel were said to have taken control of the facility and instructed workers to leave. The precise relationship between the reported security operation and the termination of the mining lease has not been independently established.
In an affidavit supporting the application, Jonathan Adongo, identified as the company’s Administrative Manager, states that Northern Ashanti Mines was not given notice of the alleged breaches cited in the termination letter or an opportunity to remedy them before the decision was taken.
The company argues that Section 68 of Act 703 prescribes the procedure for suspending or cancelling a mineral right and that the authorities failed to comply with the applicable requirements.
According to the affidavit, the company contends that the statutory framework required the relevant authorities to allow it to address any alleged breach, including a period of at least 120 days to remedy such a breach where the provision applies.
These are allegations made by the applicant in its court filings and have not been established by a judicial determination in the documents reviewed by Citi Newsroom.
Company seeks restoration of mining rights
Northern Ashanti Mines is asking the High Court to issue an order of certiorari to quash the decision communicated in the April 30 letter.
It is also seeking an order restraining the Minerals Commission and the Minister from taking further steps in reliance on that letter, including granting or reallocating the Konongo mining lease to another party, except in accordance with the law.
The company additionally wants the court to declare that its mining lease remains valid for the unexpired term and to direct the relevant authorities to restore its rights under the lease and update official records accordingly.
The application also seeks costs and any further relief the court considers appropriate.
The documents reviewed by Citi Newsroom contain the company’s application and supporting affidavit. They do not establish that the court has granted the requested orders or ruled on the merits of the dispute.
A 13-year lease covering 125 square kilometres
The supporting affidavit states that the Government of Ghana granted Northern Ashanti Mines a mining lease on February 20, 2023, covering an area of approximately 125 square kilometres at Konongo.
The company, formerly known as Owere Mines, describes itself as a wholly Ghanaian-owned limited liability company focused on redeveloping the historic Konongo Gold Mine, which it says had been inactive for at least 15 years.
The affidavit further states that the company had invested in the concession and undertaken development activities in preparation for mining operations.
It cites expenditure on equipment, infrastructure and processing facilities, as well as the employment of approximately 220 people. These figures are claims contained in the company’s affidavit and have not been independently verified by Citi Newsroom.
Petitions to the authorities
The court filing states that the company, through its lawyers, wrote to the authorities on May 4, 2026, requesting a review of the termination. A subsequent petition dated May 20, 2026, was also submitted to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Arm-Kofi Buah, seeking an administrative review and reversal of the decision.
According to the affidavit, the company received no response to the petitions. The filing argues that the absence of an opportunity to address the alleged breaches, together with the failure to follow the prescribed statutory process, renders the termination unlawful. Citi Newsroom has not independently established the circumstances surrounding the alleged breaches cited in the termination letter or obtained the government’s response to the company’s claims.
Questions over the security operation
The reported deployment of military and police personnel to the mine raises further questions about the implementation of the termination decision and the legal basis for any physical takeover of the premises.
The court application specifically seeks to challenge steps taken by the Minerals Commission and the Minister to take over the Konongo concession pursuant to the disputed termination. However, the filing, as reviewed, does not itself establish that the security personnel deployed on October 22 were acting on the instructions of either respondent, nor does it establish whether a separate court order or other lawful directive authorises the operation.
The Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service will need to clarify the authority for the reported operation and whether it is connected to the disputed lease termination. The Attorney-General is also named as a respondent in the judicial review proceedings.
