Adamus Resources Limited has rejected the decision by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to uphold the revocation of its three mining leases.
In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, signed by its Group Human Resource and Administration Manager, Alex Obu-Simpson, the company described the action as unlawful and accused the minister of disregarding statutory procedures.
The company said the decision to strip it of its mineral rights was taken without regard to procedures prescribed under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
The statement said it received the minister’s decision with “shock and disappointment” and categorically denied the allegations which formed the basis for the revocation.
The company described the allegations as “unfounded, contrived and deliberately manufactured”, saying they were intended to “strongarm” it and deprive it of its mining leases.
Background
The latest development follows a decision by Mr Buah to uphold the April 2026 revocation of Adamus Resources’ Akango, Salman and Nkroful mining leases after receiving the final report of an Inter-Ministerial Committee constituted to review the company’s petition against the initial decision.
In a report published by the Daily Graphic last Tuesday, the minister said the decision reinforced the initial revocation, which was based on recommendations by the Minerals Commission.
Alleged breaches
The Minerals Commission maintained that its initial decision followed a series of inspections by its Inspectorate Division, which uncovered sustained and material breaches of the Minerals and Mining Act and its subsidiary legislation.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Tandoh, told the Daily Graphic that the investigations established multiple violations, including the unauthorised assignment of mineral rights.
Adamus, he said, allegedly subleased portions of its concessions to foreign nationals for independent mining operations without the prior written approval of the minister, contrary to Section 14(1) of Act 703.
He stated that the company mined outside demarcated and permitted areas without an approved Operating Permit from the Chief Inspector of Mines, contrary to Regulations 200(1)(b) and 200(1)(d) of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176).
He further cited alleged failure by Adamus to obtain requisite environmental and forestry approvals from the Environmental Protection Authority before operations commenced in the assigned areas.
Mr Tandoh also alleged that the company failed to cooperate with the Interim Management Committee (IMC) established to oversee the mine and that the review committee found that Adamus had withheld information and provided misleading data.
The Minerals Commission also cited financial obligations it said remained outstanding, including $2.56 million in mineral rights fees, GH¢86.8 million in royalties and GH¢290.5 million in tax arrears.
It further reported unexplained variances in gold exports and said the company transferred $224 million to related parties abroad between 2020 and 2024, while environmental bonds remained only partially fulfilled.
Adamus denies allegations
Adamus, however, has rejected the allegations and questioned the legality of the process leading to the revocation.
“The effort by the Minister to strip Adamus Resources Limited of its mineral rights was without regard to any of the statutory procedures laid down in the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703),” the company stated.
It further said it had noted what it described as “the abuse of power wrapped in the absolute disregard of law” in the process leading to the revocation of its leases.
Company prepares challenge
Adamus Resources said it was taking steps to challenge the minister’s decision and indicated that details of those steps would be made public in the coming days.
“The good people of Ghana will be apprised of the cogent steps the company is taking to shred this baseless revocation in the coming days,” the statement said.
The dispute follows an earlier petition by Adamus challenging the April 2026 revocation, which led to the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee to review the company's concerns.
The committee subsequently submitted its final report, after which the minister upheld the revocation.
