Ahafo North farmers accuse Lands Commission of delaying Newmont compensation
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Farmers from four Ahafo Region communities say compensation approved in April for land compulsorily acquired for Newmont's Ahafo North mine is being held up by a dispute over 21 structures the company calls speculative.
Farmers from four communities in Ghana's Ahafo Region have accused the Lands Commission of delaying compensation for land, crops and structures compulsorily acquired for Newmont Ghana Gold Limited's Ahafo North mining project, nearly three years after the first acquisition.
The affected farmers, from Afrisipakrom, Terchire, Susuanso and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality, are also challenging Newmont's description of structures belonging to 21 farmers as "speculative", arguing that the properties existed long before the company expanded into their communities. The Concerned Farmers Association said at a press conference at Terchire on Monday, 2 November 2026, that the dispute is holding up compensation the Lands Commission approved in April 2026 for properties affected by a second compulsory acquisition.
The case involves two Executive Instruments through which the government acquired the land: E.I. 356 of 29 September 2023 and E.I. 273 of 15 July 2024. The association says properties on land covered by the first acquisition were destroyed in December 2023 when the state took possession, leaving families with little chance to retrieve belongings or salvage investments.
Before the acquisitions, the farmers had insisted on negotiating fair and adequate compensation with Newmont under section 73 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). After disagreements over destroyed structures, arrests and alleged threats, Newmont petitioned the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and the government proceeded to acquire selected lands under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), shifting compensation to the Lands Commission framework.
A ministerial committee involving traditional authorities, state institutions, lawyers for the farmers and Newmont representatives was subsequently set up to resolve the disputes and avoid further compulsory acquisition. The association is now asking the commission to settle the outstanding structure claims and pay without further delay.
Compulsory acquisition for mining remains one of Ghana's most contested land issues, with affected communities routinely arguing that valuation and payment lag years behind the loss of their farms and homes.