Farmers fight Lands Commission, Newmont for delayed compensation over Ahafo North Mines Project

The Concerned Farmers Association of Afrispakrom, Terchire, Susuanso, and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo region has called on the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission to immediately pay all outstanding compensation for lands, crops, and farm structures acquired for Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd’s Ahafo North mining project. Addressing a news conference in Terchire on Monday, the Association rejected claims by Newmont classifying farm structures in the area as “speculative” to halt compensation under Executive Instrument (E.I.) 273 of 2024. The group also raised urgent concerns over the ongoing plight of members affected by an earlier compulsory acquisition under E.I. 356 of 2023, who remain unpaid three years after state authorities took possession of their lands and destroyed their properties. The core of the dispute centers on the legal framework used to acquire the land and evaluate affected properties. In June 2026, the Lands Commission notified the Association that Newmont had submitted a petition alleging that structures belonging to 21 farmers should be denied compensation, relying on a 2017 cut-off date under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). The Association maintains that Newmont’s petition relies on an inapplicable legal framework because state authorities abandoned negotiations under mining laws and instead compulsorily acquired the lands under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036). Under Act 1036, improvements to land are deemed speculative only if erected after the formal publication of the State’s notice of acquisition, with no statutory reference to mining regulation cut-off dates. Furthermore, all contested structures were physically inspected, counted, and verified during a 2024 joint exercise supervised by a Ministerial Committee, with valuation records formally signed by representatives of the Land Valuation Division, affected farmers, and Newmont. Following this verification, the Valuation Technical Committee of the Lands Commission approved compensation figures on April 13, 2026, which the farmers’ legal team accepted on April 24, 2026. In addition to the delayed payments under E.I. 273 of 2024, the Association highlighted the complete non-payment of claims under E.I. 356 of 2023, issued on September 29, 2023. State authorities took possession of those lands in December 2023 and destroyed the properties of the affected farmers, leaving them without compensation or alternative livelihoods for nearly three years. “Newmont is the beneficiary of the acquisition. It is not the State. It must not take over the Lands Commission’s responsibility to determine, assess and pay compensation according to law. The Commission must exercise its own judgment, apply the law fairly and protect the rights of affected property owners”, John Mensah, Chairman of the farmers, stated. Joseph Adu Yaw, Secretary of the farmers’ Association, stressed that the farms were their only source of livelihood and that taking them away without paying compensation has left their families in hardship, adding that some of our members have died and some are very ill while waiting for payment. “The Commission must give us a clear written explanation of any outstanding issues and a definite timetable for payment,” he indicated. The Association is urging the Lands Commission to reject Newmont’s petition, execute its statutory duties independently, immediately disburse the approved compensation under E.I. 273, expedite outstanding payments for E.I. 356 victims, and issue a written schedule with a definite timetable for full settlement. JoyNews reached out to the management of Newmont for their response on the various issues raised. It declined to comment.