The Asanda Farmers Association has added its voice to the growing controversy over the revocation of Northern Ashanti Mines’ mining lease, describing the decision by the Minerals Commission as unduly harsh and unnecessary.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Association’s Secretary, Mr. Aidoo Emmanuel, lamented what he described as the Commission’s habitual resort to license revocation, arguing that several less drastic remedies exist for addressing breaches by indigenous mining companies.
According to Mr. Aidoo, dialogue — not revocation — should be the Commission’s first course of action, stressing that the State stands to gain more when the mine remains operational than when it is shut down.
“Even assuming Northern Ashanti Mines owes GH₵8.3 billion as claimed, how does the government recover that money if the company is shut down?” he queried. “The better approach is to guide the company to do the right thing so it can generate enough revenue to settle the debt. That is the way to go, not revocation.”
Mr. Aidoo further revealed that the Minerals Commission allegedly failed to notify the company as required by law before withdrawing its license — an omission he characterized as unfair.
“What is needed now is engagement between government and Northern Ashanti Mines so that, where there are loopholes in the company’s operations, it can be directed to put things right,” he said. “But to suddenly revoke the license, I don’t think that is fair to a woman who has employed many Ghanaians through her mining companies and whose reputation extends beyond the borders of Ghana.”
Explaining why the farmers’ group is concerned about the development, Mr. Aidoo noted that the Association is a direct beneficiary of the mine’s operations, as many of their children and relatives have gained employment with the company, improving their living conditions.
He cautioned that the continued revocation of licenses belonging to indigenous mining companies could spell doom for the nation, warning that the mass redundancy likely to result from the Northern Ashanti revocation should be treated as a national security concern.
Mr. Aidoo is, therefore, appealing to government to intervene and grant the company a reprieve — just as it did for Adamus Resources — and to guide it toward viable operations.
The revocation of Northern Ashanti Mines’ lease has drawn widespread criticism from members of the public and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), many of whom have described the action as unlawful.