Former workers of the Bogoso-Prestea Gold Mine have called out the new operator, Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL), accusing the company of failing to honour key financial obligations months after assuming control of the mine.
Their concerns, they say, have left hundreds of families in severe financial hardship.
The government terminated the lease of Future Global Resources (FGR) on September 3, 2024, after the company repeatedly failed to rectify breaches such as unpaid SSNIT contributions, provident fund arrears, delayed salaries and bonuses.
These breaches persisted despite several 120-day remediation periods issued by the then Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor
The mine’s reassignment to Heath Goldfields on November 12, 2024, came with assurances that the new operator had the financial strength and technical capacity to revive operations and settle all outstanding worker entitlements.
Hardship
However, at a press conference in Accra last Wednesday, the convenor for the former employees, Gabriel Madobi, said what was expected to be a new beginning for the mine and its host communities had instead turned into a period of deep uncertainty and hardship.
He said the workers had initially welcomed the change in operatorship, hoping it would bring an end to years of labour violations.
Mr Madobi said the optimism had quickly evaporated, as after taking over, Heath Goldfields allegedly failed to clear outstanding entitlements owed to workers.
That, he recalled, led to fresh protests and a new 120-day directive issued by the current Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Armah Kofi Buah, directing the company to settle all arrears in line with labour laws.
Rather than resolving the issues, he said the company disengaged a significant number of workers under operational restructuring and subsequently placed the mine under care and maintenance.
Mr Madobi said this decision worsened the plight of workers and their dependents.
“The human cost is undeniable. Long-serving, hardworking Ghanaians have lost their livelihoods. Many of our families cannot afford food, education and health care. Some workers have died without receiving their lawful entitlements,” he said.
Unpaid benefits
Providing further details, he said a company memo dated August 27, 2025, promised to settle all outstanding Provident Fund contributions by the end of that month and to pay disengaged workers by September.
A follow-up memo dated October 6, 2025, he said, extended the deadline to December.
Despite those commitments, he said, as of November 19, 2025, only about half of the affected workers had received their provident fund contributions and end-of-contract benefits, leave balances and bonuses for 2023 were still outstanding.
He reminded the company that the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), required employers to pay all outstanding remuneration upon termination.
The delays, he argued, raised serious doubts about Heath Goldfields’ financial capacity.
Mr Madobi called on the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to clarify the financial assurances Heath Goldfields presented before acquiring the lease.
He asked the minister to disclose the level of capital commitment the company offered and whether any independent due diligence was conducted to verify its financial capacity.
He argued that the issues now facing the mine closely mirror those that led to the removal of FGR, raising concerns about the thoroughness of the vetting process.
New operator
The spokesperson of the former workers urged the government to consider replacing Heath Goldfields with a more financially capable operator.
He noted that the company’s current operations, mainly focused on reprocessing old tailings, did not constitute a viable long-term strategy.
“If the objective was merely to process tailings, the former operator could have done that. Bogoso-Prestea deserves more than a stopgap measure,” he stressed.
Appeal to the Lands Minister
Mr Madobi further appealed to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to act decisively after reviewing reports submitted to him following the expiration of the latest 120-day directive.
He said many families were struggling, timelines for payment had repeatedly shifted and long-serving workers were being treated unfairly.
Mr Madobi emphasised that the workers’ demands went beyond financial compensation, extending to justice, accountability and the protection of a national asset.
