Ghana terminates Northern Ashanti Mines permits over $8.3 million debt
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3news
Ghana’s Minerals Commission says Northern Ashanti Mines owes more than $8.3 million in unpaid regulatory fees and defends terminating its mining leases. The company, formerly called Owere Mines, is challenging the decision in court; the Commission published its response on 27 October 2026, according to 3news.
Ghana’s Minerals Commission has terminated the mining leases and prospecting licence of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, formerly Owere Mines, over arrears of more than $8.3 million. The agency says it followed the procedure set out in Ghana’s mining law, while the company is challenging the decision in court, according to a statement published by the Commission on 27 October 2026.
The unpaid amounts include $8.33 million in annual royalties on mining rights for 2010-2025 and $49,928 related to prospecting licences for 2019-2025. The Commission says it sent the company formal demands for payment on 14 April 2025 and also accuses it of having carried out no significant mining activity for more than two years.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources approved the termination on 24 April 2026, before the Commission implemented it on 30 April. The mining rights reverted to the state, but the authorities say they intend to continue seeking the sums owed. Commission officials accompanied by military personnel entered the Konongo concession on 22 October to enforce the decision.
Northern Ashanti Mines, for its part, says it has spent nearly $200 million on exploration. The dispute extends the challenge to the takeover of the $110 million mine mentioned on 25 October in an article about the Ghanaian company.
