The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, has announced that a ministerial committee will review a petition from Adamus Resources Limited over the revocation of its mining leases, while an interim management team has also been set up to run the Adamus mine in the meantime.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, April 30, the Minister explained that the decision follows a meeting with the Minerals Commission and management of Adamus, where the company formally submitted a petition seeking a review of the revocation of its leases covering the Akango, Salman, and Nkroful concessions.
According to him, the petition will be subjected to a detailed review by a newly constituted ministerial committee, which is expected to begin work on Monday.
“I just had a very constructive meeting, the Minerals Commission, the Adamus Mine Management and their team. I have also just received from them a petition requesting for administrative review and reversal of the decision that has been made to revoke the leases,” he said.
He explained that the committee has been tasked to thoroughly examine the petition, review earlier findings from the Minerals Commission, and engage directly with Adamus Resources Limited to address concerns raised.
“The committee will be in place starting work on Monday. The terms of reference will be very clear to look at the work and the recommendations that have been done and also to look at other additional information. They will directly engage Adamus and give them the opportunity to address a lot of the concerns they have in this petition,” he stated.
The committee is expected to submit its report and recommendations to the Minister within two weeks.
In addition to the review process, the Minister disclosed that an interim management committee has also been set up to oversee operations at the mine during the period of assessment.
He said the interim team will work closely with Adamus Resources Limited to ensure orderly management of the mine while the review process is ongoing.
“I am also at the same time setting up an interim management committee to manage the mine, working closely with the mining company, Adamus, in a very orderly manner until we have concluded the work of the committee,” he added.
The latest development follows the government’s earlier decision to revoke Adamus Resources’ leases after investigations by the Minerals Commission found multiple breaches of Ghana’s mining laws, including illegal mining activities, failure to secure required permits, environmental violations, and unauthorised subcontracting of operations.
Despite the revocation, the Minister stressed that the new measures are aimed at balancing regulatory enforcement with the need to protect investments and ensure due process is followed before any final determination is made.