Northern Ashanti Mines workers appeal to Mahama over shutdown

Workers at Northern Ashanti Mines Limited have appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene in the dispute that shut down the Konongo mine and to facilitate talks to resolve it.

They want the President to bring together the company’s management, the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to find a way for operations to resume while regulatory concerns are addressed.

The mine was shut down on October 22, 2026, after an operation by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Minerals Commission.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Community Relations Officer Alfred Oduro said the workers were not asking the government to ignore the regulatory issues but wanted a resolution that would protect their jobs.

“We are not saying all regulatory issues that have been raised by the Minerals Commission should be sidelined or moved out, but we are saying we know there is going to be a legal way in which an amicable solution can be,” he said.

Oduro said the workers wanted the President to facilitate discussions among the relevant bodies and management to agree on a way forward.

“Our petition aims at the President allowing the various actors, which are the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and management of Northern Ashanti Mines, to come to a conclusion on the mine being relocated, as necessary regulatory issues that have been raised by the Minerals Commission also continue to be addressed,” he said.

He said a prolonged shutdown could threaten workers’ livelihoods and the economic wellbeing of their dependants.

Oduro added that management had been updating staff on the legal issues and urging them to remain patient while efforts to restart the mine continued.

“We have been receiving updates from management in terms of the court issues that they are raising and a whole lot of other stuff that, at the end of the day, points to us being patient or keeping our fingers crossed while they still work on stuff to get the mine back on its feet,” he said.