News
Former workers of Bogoso Prestea mine picket over Heath Goldfields Ltd. lack of financial capacity ; demand full payment of entitlement.
Former workers of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine on Wednesday, December 10, massed up at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission in Accra to demand payment of their long-overdue benefits.
Wearing red and black and chanting protest songs, the angry workers called on the government to immediately intervene and ensure they receive the entitlements owed them after years of uncertainty.
The group, made up of scores of ex-workers, said the situation has dragged on since their disengagement from the mine, which has struggled with several ownership changes and what the workers describe as poor financial management by the current operator, Health Goldfields (HGF).
A petition addressed to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, was received by an official of the ministry.
The document stressed two main demands: full payment of outstanding benefits and the replacement of the mine’s operator with a more financially stable company.
According to the workers, the unpaid benefits include provident fund arrears, end-of-service pay, redundancy packages, accrued leave, bonuses and other statutory entitlements.
Many of the affected workers have been without income for months.
The union’s convenor, Gabriel Madobi, said some former employees have died without receiving what is legally due them, leaving their families in hardship.
He added that elderly and unwell workers who spent decades at the mine now live in difficult conditions.
The union blames the crisis on the mine’s turbulent recent history.
After years under Golden Star Resources, the mine moved to Future Global Resources before being sold to Health Goldfields Limited (HGL).
The workers claim HGL has not demonstrated the financial capacity needed to run the mine or pay outstanding benefits, resulting in repeated disputes and operational shutdowns.
They want government to step in and ensure a competent investor takes over to protect the mine and the community that depends on it.
Officials at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission have not yet commented on the protest.
However, the workers say they will continue to push until their grievances are addressed.
By: Jacob Aggrey
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
