News
Aggrieved farmers cry to govt to stop illegal encroachment on farms
Aggrieved farmers at Saamang in the Fanteakwa South District in the Eastern Region have appealed to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to prevail on BSD Mines to stop their illegal activities or they would be forced to take necessary action that may not be in the interest of the company.
According to the farmers, BSD Mines, a subsidiary of Kibi Gold Fields Ghana Limited, which mines for gold at Saamang in the Fanteakwa South District, has taken its concession beyond borders by encroaching on farmlands cultivated by individuals in the area without their consent.
Pouring out their grievances to The Spectator, one of the aggrieved farmers, Mr Eric Nkum Antwi, owner of Ever Care Venture said the company had destroyed large acres of cocoa, plantain, oil palm, cassava, cocoyam and yam farms among others which were their only source of livelihood.
According to Mr Nkum Antwi, his 1.5 acres of cocoa and plantain farms which employed two permanent and seven casual workers, had been destroyed by BSD Mines, who also dug dams on the farm without any form of negotiation between him and the company.
“My 1.5 acres of cocoa and plantain farms that could fetch me a substantial amount of money to feed my family and also pay my workers had been destroyed by this company without approaching me for any form of either compensation or negotiation.
“No one from the company had come to negotiate any terms with me and to my surprise my workers went to the farm to discover that more mining wells had been dug on my farm and my cocoa and plantain trees in which I had invested monies have been destroyed,” he fumed.
Mr Antwi also revealed that the illegal mining activities of Kibi Gold Fields Ltd had contaminated the town’s only source of drinking water, but the company compensated each household with only two bags of sachet water daily, which was woefully inadequate for the survival of the residents.
Another farmer, Opanin Kofi Sam, also confirmed that his 17.5 acre farm located at Anomaase made up of cocoa, plantain, cassava, palm trees, cocoyam, yam, and vegetables have all been destroyed by the company to extract gold.
He said a Koforidua High Court on May 6, 2020 granted a request made by Kibi Gold Fields Limited who had pleaded for out-of-court settlement, after he had filed a complaint at the law court.
“We met to negotiate on the matter and they asked me to send a proposal to them which I did as requested. They acknowledged receipt and promised to come back but I have since not heard anything from them till now,” he said.
The farmers also expressed disappointment in the traditional authorities for watching on for the company to be engaging in such illegal activities that have the potential of endangering their families into abject poverty.
When contacted on telephone, the Community Relations Officer of the company, Mr Eric Opoku Fordjour conceded that, their activities had affected some farmers around the concession site.
Meanwhile, he explained that it was not deliberate as speculated by the farmers, adding that, in the case of Mr Eric Antwi Nkum, a portion of his farm was affected when they were clearing a road to the site.
“With Opanin Kofi Sam, we agreed on an amount to compensate him, however, on the day we were to give the money to him, he asked us to go and grant bail for his nephew who had been jailed 18 years for engaging in illegal mining before he would accept the money,” he said.
He has assured that they would contact the aggrieved farmers and settle the matter amicably.
The aggrieved farmers have, however, complained that they had not received any compensation from BSD Mines.
From David Kodjo, Koforidua
The Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, Mr. Azouz Nasri, has arrived in Accra to take part in the Next Steps High-Level Consultative Conference on the implementation of the landmark United Nations Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans.
He was received at the Jubilee Lounge, Kotoka International Airport, by Ghana’s First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor.
The 3-day conference runs from June 17–19, 2026 in Accra. It will bring together parliamentary leaders, diplomats, civil society, and other key stakeholders to reflect on the implications of the UN Resolution for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
Organisers say the meeting is aimed at advancing a coordinated global framework to strengthen advocacy around the Resolution and provide practical guidance for its implementation across member states.
The Resolution is described as a historic step toward acknowledging the transatlantic slave trade and addressing its lasting impact, with this conference marking one of the first high-level efforts to move it from declaration to action.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Aspiring National Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awentami Paul Afoko, has stated that the party has a unique opportunity to annex power in the 2028 elections.
According to him, the one person who has been on Ghana’s ballot paper for several elections will not be on the ballot paper in the 2028 elections, paving the way for the NPP to properly market its flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is already a formidable force to reckon with and will go ahead to win the polls.
He argued that voters already know him, he’s battle-tested and ready to win.
He reiterated that the NPP will have a well-marketed candidate in the 2028 election and just as the party did in 2016 when it annexed power from a sitting government, the same can be done.
The Former NPP National Chairman, however, noted that this can be possible if the NPP unites as a unit and approach the elections with all the seriousness it deserves to ensure that its quest for victory does not become a mirage.
Mr Awentami Paul Afoko made this known when he met with Regional Executives, Patrons and Elders of the party in the Volta, Oti and Eastern Regions yesterday.
“For the first time we have a unique opportunity. At the time I put the New Plan for Power in place, we knew that the sitting president could go again and if he won another term, we would sit in opposition for twelve years.
We had to put a plan in place to make sure we come to power and we came to power. This time around, he will not be on the ballot paper and this offers us a unique opportunity, but without unity we will not get there,” he stated.
“As for unity, it is not negotiable. You can’t sit here and look at the lady sitting next to you and say I don’t like her so we can’t work together. We are working together for power, and if we let emotions get in the way, we lose” he said.
“Those of you who are old enough to remember Muhammad Ali the boxer, he is in the ring with you, he’s talking and calling you names then you get emotional and he takes advantage. Emotions won’t give us power. I didn’t get anything so I won’t support; no, let that go because it is in the past,” he noted.
Afoko, who is pushing his 3R Agenda of Reunite, Rebuild, and Recapture power, said the party must adopt a clear message to win back the confidence of Ghanaians and believes, with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whom he described as the right candidate will guarantee the NPP victory in the 2028 polls.
“For years I chose to work quietly behind the scenes, supporting the NPP in private,” Afoko said.
“But recent developments have compelled me to step forward. We need to get our party back into winning ways, and that starts with unity of purpose,” Afoko reiterated.
He framed the upcoming period as a test of whether NPP politics would mature or remain stuck in cycles of blame, but was optimistic that everyone who loves the party would come on board to realize the goal of making Dr Mahamudu Bawumia the next President of Ghana.
By: Jacob Aggrey
