{
  "id": 19644288,
  "title": "Minerals Commission defends termination of Northern Ashanti Mines’ lease over $8.3m debt",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/minerals-commission-defends-termination-of-northern-ashanti-mines",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:33:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GBC Ghana",
    "slug": "gbc-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/general/minerals-commission-defends-termination-of-northern-ashanti-mines-lease-over-8-3m-debt/2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Minerals Commission has defended its decision to cancel the mining leases and prospecting licences of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, previously known as Owere Mines. The decision was made due to the company's failure to pay over US$8.3 million in statutory fees and its lack of meaningful mining activities over a two-year period. The Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2176) were cited as the legal basis for the termination. Northern Ashanti Mines had been granted a mining lease covering 595 cadastral blocks in 2010, but it failed to pay its outstanding fees for the leases from 2010 to 2025, as well as for prospecting licences from 2019 to 2025. The outstanding amounts totaled US$8.33 million for the leases and an additional US$49,928 for the prospecting licences. The Commission issued notices to remedy the breaches on April 14, 2025, but the company failed to settle the debts within the given time frame. Investigations revealed that the company had not conducted any mining operations on the concession for over two years, which violated Section 69(1) of Act 703. The termination effectively returned the mineral rights to the State, which remains their lawful owner. However, the Commission emphasized that this does not absolve the company from its financial obligations incurred prior to the cancellation of its mineral rights. The company has also initiated legal action against the State to contest the termination, but the Commission maintains that the matter is already under judicial review and should not be influenced by media campaigns or public sentiment.",
  "summary": "By: Felix Cofie The Minerals Commission has defended the termination of the mining leases and prospecting licences of Northern Ashanti Mines Limited, formerly Owere Mines, citing outstanding statutory fees exceeding US$8.3 million and a prolonged lack of meaningful mining operations. In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Commission said the termination was […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}