Northern Ashanti Mines Limited has dragged the Minerals Commission, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and the Attorney-General to court over the termination of its mining lease at Konongo in the Ashanti Region.
In an application for judicial review filed at the High Court in Accra and sighted by Citi Newsroom, the company is asking the court to declare the termination unlawful and to quash it.
The company says the decision was communicated in a letter dated April 30, 2026, signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission.
It argues the action 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 legal action comes at a time when there are reports of a security operation at the company’s Konongo site on Thursday, October 22, where military and police personnel allegedly took over the facility and ordered workers to leave.
The link between the reported operation and the lease termination has not been independently established.
Alleged breach of due process
In an affidavit in support of the application, Jonathan Adongo, the company’s Administrative Manager, states that Northern Ashanti Mines was not notified of the alleged breaches contained in the termination letter nor given a chance to fix them before the decision was taken.
The company contends that Section 68 of Act 703 lays down the procedure for suspending or cancelling a mineral right, which includes giving the holder notice and, where applicable, at least 120 days to remedy a breach.
It further argues that the Minerals Commission acted beyond its lawful powers and that the decision was arbitrary, unreasonable and procedurally unfair. These are claims made by the company in its filing and are yet to be determined by the court.
Reliefs being sought
The company is seeking an order of certiorari to quash the April 30 termination letter. It is also seeking an injunction to restrain the Minerals Commission and the Minister from acting on the letter, including reallocating the Konongo lease to another party, except as provided by law.
In addition, it wants the court to declare that its lease remains valid for its unexpired term and to order the authorities to restore its rights and update official records.
It is also asking for costs.
Documents reviewed only show the company’s application and affidavit. They do not show that the court has granted any of the reliefs or ruled on the merits.
The Konongo lease
According to the affidavit, the Government of Ghana granted the company, formerly Owere Mines, a 13-year mining lease on February 20, 2023, covering about 125 square kilometres at Konongo.
The company, which describes itself as wholly Ghanaian-owned, says it is redeveloping the historic Konongo Gold Mine, which had been dormant for at least 15 years.
It claims to have invested in equipment, infrastructure and processing facilities and employs about 220 people. These claims, contained in the affidavit, have not been independently verified.
Petitions and security deployment
The filing says the company petitioned the authorities on May 4, 2026, for a review of the termination, and again on May 20, 2026, to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for an administrative reversal.
It says it received no response.
The company argues that the failure to give it an opportunity to remedy the alleged breaches and to follow the statutory process makes the termination unlawful.
The reported military and police deployment to the mine raises questions about how the termination was enforced and the legal basis for any takeover.
While the application challenges steps to take over the concession pursuant to the disputed termination, the filing itself does not establish that the security personnel deployed on October 22 were acting on the instructions of the respondents or under a separate court order.
The Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service are yet to clarify the authority for the operation and its connection, if any, to the lease termination.
