In a press conference held in Terchire on Monday, the Concerned Farmers Association of Afrispakrom, Terchire, Susuanso and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo region demanded that the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission immediately release all outstanding payments for lands, crops and farm structures taken for Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd’s Ahafo North mining project.
The association rejected Newmont’s claim that the farm structures were “speculative” and therefore exempt from compensation under Executive Instrument (E.I.) 273 of 2024. It also highlighted the plight of members affected by an earlier compulsory acquisition under E.I. 356 of 2023, who remain unpaid three years after state authorities seized their lands and destroyed their properties.
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 petitioned to deny compensation for structures belonging to 21 farmers, citing a 2017 cut‑off date under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). The Association argues that the petition relies on an inapplicable legal framework because the state 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. All contested structures were physically inspected, counted and verified during a 2024 joint exercise supervised by a Ministerial Committee, and valuation records were 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 13 April 2026, which the farmers’ legal team accepted on 24 April 2026. The Association also highlighted the complete non‑payment of claims under E.I. 356 of 2023, issued on 29 September 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,” said John Mensah, Chairman of the farmers.
Joseph Adu Yaw, Secretary of the farmers’ Association, added that the farms were their only source of livelihood and that taking them away without payment has left families in hardship, with some members having died and others very ill while waiting for payment. He urged the Commission to give a clear written explanation of any outstanding issues and a definite timetable for payment.
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.
Newmont declined to comment on the issues raised.
