The Minerals Commission has defended the termination of the mining leases and prospecting licences of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, formerly known as Owere Mines, citing the company’s failure to pay statutory fees and undertake meaningful mining operations for more than two years.
This follows an operation on Thursday, October 22, during which officers from the Minerals Commission, accompanied by military personnel, stormed the company’s concession to enforce the termination of its mining lease over alleged breaches that the company had reportedly failed to remedy.
In a press release dated October 27, 2026, the Commission said the termination was carried out in accordance with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176), and the terms of the agreements with the company.
The Commission said Northern Ashanti Mines had failed to pay outstanding Annual Mineral Right (AMR) fees amounting to US$8.33 million for its mining leases covering the period from 2010 to 2025, as well as US$49,928 for prospecting licences covering 2019 to 2025.
According to the Commission, it issued notices to remedy the breaches on April 14, 2025, requiring the company to settle the outstanding amounts within a stipulated period, but it failed to comply.
The Commission also said the company had not undertaken any meaningful mining operations on the concession for more than two years, in contravention of Section 69(1) of Act 703.
It said that after the company failed to remedy the breaches, the Commission notified the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources on April 7, 2026, seeking approval to issue a termination notice.
The Minister approved the request on April 24, 2026, and the Commission proceeded to terminate the mineral rights on April 30, 2026.
“The Minerals Commission wishes to categorically state that it acted lawfully and followed due process at every stage,” the statement said.
“The Company was given every opportunity to regularise its position and yet chose not to. The law is the law. Mineral rights are not an inheritance. Once granted, a holder must abide by the rules, whether they are an indigenous company or not, and this includes the payment of statutory fees and the undertaking of meaningful mining operations.”
The Commission said the terminated mineral rights had reverted to the State, without prejudice to the company’s outstanding liabilities, including its debt to the government.
It added that it reserved the right to pursue the company to recover all outstanding amounts owed to the State.
The Commission further said the government had a responsibility to protect and secure the assets that had reverted to the State from being dissipated or taken over by encroachers or other illegal actors.
The statement comes amid legal proceedings initiated by Northern Ashanti Mines against the State, challenging the termination of its mineral rights.
The Commission said the company had acknowledged receipt of the termination notice before instituting the legal action.
It described the company’s media campaign seeking public sympathy as inappropriate while the matter was before the courts.
“Having done so, it is improper and contemptuous of the judicial process for the Company to simultaneously resort to the court of public opinion, peddling false narratives and soliciting sympathy for a matter it flagrantly violated,” the statement said.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the country’s mining laws, saying it would not be distracted by what it described as media theatrics.
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