Northern Ashanti Mines Turns to Court to Protect Konongo Concession Amid Takeover Threat
Northern Ashanti Mines Limited has asked the High Court in Accra to prevent the government from taking possession of its Konongo mining concession, warning that a takeover before the resolution of an ongoing legal dispute could put approximately US$110 million in investment commitments at risk
By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News Canada
26 OCTOBER 2026
The company has filed an injunction application at the Commercial Division of the High Court, seeking orders to restrain the Minerals Commission, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and other relevant parties from entering the concession, transferring its mineral rights or handing the property to third parties while the court examines the termination of its mining lease.
The Attorney-General has also been named as a respondent.
In an affidavit supporting the application, Northern Ashanti Mines Administrative Manager Jonathan Adongo alleges that officials of the Minerals Commission, accompanied by military personnel, visited the mine on October 22, 2026, and directed the company, its employees and workers to vacate the premises, offices and residential facilities by midday.
Mr Adongo argues that the situation requires urgent judicial intervention to prevent a change in possession before the legality of the lease termination is determined.
The company maintains that a forced takeover could disrupt its operations, expose workers and neighbouring communities to potential risks, damage equipment and compromise geological records and exploration data.
Company challenges termination decision
Northern Ashanti Mines, formerly known as Owere Mines Limited, describes itself as a wholly Ghanaian-owned company redeveloping the historic Konongo Gold Mine in the Ashanti Region.
According to its court filing, the company renewed its mining lease on February 2, 2023, for a further 13 years, covering approximately 125 square kilometres. It maintains that Parliament ratified the renewed lease, which is scheduled to expire on February 1, 2036.
The company says it has spent more than US$83.34 million on the concession and secured financing exceeding US$30 million for a gold-processing plant that is reportedly more than 50 per cent complete.
It estimates its overall committed expenditure at approximately US$110 million and says its operations support about 422 direct and indirect jobs.
The dispute follows a termination notice dated April 30, 2026, issued by the Minerals Commission on behalf of the sector minister. The notice cited alleged failures by the company to remedy breaches within the applicable statutory and regulatory period.
Northern Ashanti Mines contests that explanation. It claims it was not served with a notice specifying the alleged breaches and was not given an opportunity to address them before its mineral rights were terminated.
The company further says its lawyers wrote to the relevant authorities on May 4, 2026, followed by a petition on May 20, seeking reconsideration of the decision, but received no response.
These assertions remain the company’s position in the dispute and have not been established by a final court determination.
Company seeks preservation of mining rights
Beyond preventing the alleged takeover, the injunction application seeks to stop security deployments intended to enforce the termination and to prevent the concession from being granted or transferred to other parties while the judicial review proceedings remain unresolved.
The company argues that transferring possession or reallocating the mineral rights before the court rules could undermine the effectiveness of any eventual judgment in its favour.
The central question is whether the termination was carried out in accordance with the applicable law and whether the company was afforded the procedural protections it claims it was denied.
COMMENTARY
The Konongo dispute presents a test of both regulatory authority and procedural fairness. Government agencies must be able to enforce mining laws, but major decisions affecting mineral rights and substantial investments should be supported by lawful procedures and transparent evidence. Equally, a company’s investment claims do not automatically invalidate a regulatory decision. The court’s examination of the lease, the alleged breaches and the procedures followed will be crucial. A timely and impartial resolution would help protect the rule of law, employment and public confidence in Ghana’s mining sector.
