Our Structures Are Not Speculative – Concerned Farmers Accuse Newmont of Delaying Compensation

The Concerned Farmers Association of Afrisipakrom, Terchire, Susuanso and Adrobaa in the Ahafo Region has accused Newmont of frustrating the payment of compensation to affected farmers by challenging the eligibility of 21 members’ structures, describing them as speculative.

The Association says the company’s petition to the Lands Commission is unfair and threatens to further delay compensation for properties affected by compulsory land acquisition under Executive Instrument (E.I.) 273 of 2024.

Addressing the media at Terchire in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region on Monday, November 2, 2026, Chairman of the Association, John Mensah, rejected Newmont’s position, insisting that the structures existed long before the company planned to extend its mining operations into the affected communities.

According to him, the Association received a letter dated June 9, 2026, from the Lands Commission informing its representatives that Newmont had petitioned the Commission, arguing that structures belonging to 21 members should not qualify for compensation.

The Commission subsequently requested the Association’s comments to enable it to determine the matter.

Mr Mensah said the affected structures were not constructed for the purpose of obtaining compensation but had served as homes, farming facilities and business premises for years.

“Our position is clear: our structures are not speculative under either the mining laws or the Land Act. These structures existed long before Newmont planned to extend its mining operations into our area. We lived in them and used them for farming and other farming-related businesses,” he stated.

He described it as unfair for the company to take over their lands and destroy their properties, only to question the legitimacy of those structures when compensation becomes due.

The Chairman disclosed that the Association’s lawyers and valuers had already responded to the Lands Commission, rejecting Newmont’s petition as unfounded.

At the centre of the dispute is a disagreement over the legal framework that should determine compensation for the affected farmers.

Mr Mensah explained that Newmont was relying on provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), including an alleged 2017 cut-off date under the mining regulations, to challenge the structures and classify them as speculative.

However, he argued that the Government’s subsequent decision to compulsorily acquire the affected lands under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), changed the legal basis for assessing compensation.

He recalled that the Government had initially granted Newmont a mining concession in the Tano North Municipality under the Minerals and Mining Act.

According to him, that concession was separate from the compulsory acquisition of selected lands by the State in 2023 for Newmont’s mining operations and related activities.

He said the State’s decision to proceed under the Land Act meant that compensation for the acquired properties should be assessed and paid in accordance with that legislation.

“The State had now acquired our lands under a different law, the Land Act. This meant that compensation for that compulsory acquisition must be assessed and paid under the Land Act. We therefore submitted ourselves to the procedures under that Act,” he explained.

Mr Mensah questioned why Newmont was returning to the earlier mining legislation to challenge compensation after the State had relied on a different legal framework to acquire the lands.

He described the company’s position as shocking and unfair, arguing that the farmers had followed the procedures established under the Land Act.

The Association has also challenged Newmont’s interpretation of what constitutes a speculative structure under the applicable law.

Mr Mensah explained that under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), improvements made to land after the Government publishes its notice of intention to acquire the property may be regarded as speculative.

He maintained that the law does not make reference to the alleged 2017 mining cut-off date being relied upon by Newmont.

According to him, the affected farmers’ structures were constructed long before the relevant acquisition notice was published and should therefore qualify for compensation.

The Association insists that the structures were genuine properties used for residential, agricultural and commercial purposes rather than developments deliberately undertaken to benefit from the compensation exercise.

The farmers have further relied on joint enumeration records from a 2024 exercise, which they say contradict Newmont’s current position on the structures.

Mr Mensah recounted that following difficulties associated with the first compulsory acquisition in 2023, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources established a Ministerial Committee to address concerns surrounding compensation.

The committee brought together traditional authorities from the affected communities, representatives of relevant state institutions, lawyers representing the farmers and Newmont officials.

The objective, he said, was to facilitate discussions and reach an agreement to avoid another compulsory acquisition process.

As part of the exercise, Newmont representatives, affected farmers and officials of the Lands Commission jointly inspected, counted and documented the crops and structures on the affected properties.

The exercise was supervised by the committee, which was chaired by the then Deputy Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission.

Mr Mensah explained that the crop records were completed and signed by the affected farmers, chief farmers, Newmont representatives and officials of the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission.

Similarly, the structure records were signed by the affected farmers, surveyors, representatives of the Land Valuation Division, a representative of the Resettlement Negotiation Committee and a Newmont representative.

He said properties identified as qualifying for compensation were subsequently presented to the committee for consideration.

The Chairman argued that Newmont’s participation in and endorsement of the enumeration exercise should be taken into account in determining the current dispute.

“We again draw attention to the joint records made during the 2024 exercise. Newmont’s representatives signed those records alongside the affected farmers and representatives of the Lands Commission. The records confirm that the structures were identified and recorded,” he said.

He maintained that the documents constitute important evidence that should be fairly considered before any decision is taken on the affected structures.

The Association further disclosed that the compensation assessment process under E.I. 273 of 2024 had reached an advanced stage before Newmont’s petition emerged.

According to Mr Mensah, after almost two years of the second acquisition, the Lands Commission, through its Valuation Technical Committee, approved compensation amounts for the affected crops, structures and lands in a letter dated April 13, 2026.

He said that with the farmers’ consent and approval, their lawyers and valuers accepted the approved amounts in a subsequent letter dated April 24, 2026, addressed to the Lands Commission.

The farmers consequently expected payment to follow after the completion of the assessment and acceptance processes.

However, Mr Mensah said Newmont’s petition had introduced another obstacle, leaving the affected members uncertain about when they would receive their compensation.

He stressed that the delay was particularly worrying because the affected farmers had already lost their lands and properties to the mining-related acquisition.

Beyond the 21 members whose structures are being challenged, the Association has drawn attention to another group of farmers affected by a separate compulsory acquisition under Executive Instrument (E.I.) 356 of 2023.

Mr Mensah said those farmers had not received any compensation for their lands and properties taken under the instrument.

He described the situation as an additional concern for the affected communities, which continue to demand payment for properties lost through the acquisition processes.

The Concerned Farmers Association is now calling on the Lands Commission to resolve the outstanding issues surrounding Newmont’s petition and ensure that compensation is paid without further delay.

The group insists that its members’ structures were genuine developments that existed before the acquisition process and that the joint enumeration records provide evidence of their eligibility for compensation.

Mr Mensah urged the Commission to consider the applicable provisions of the Land Act, the history of the acquisition process and the records jointly signed by Newmont and other stakeholders.

“We ask the Commission to resolve the outstanding issues without further delay and pay compensation for all our structures under E.I. 273,” he demanded.

The Association maintains that affected farmers should not continue to bear the consequences of delays after their lands and properties have been taken for mining operations.

The dispute now places the Lands Commission at the centre of a disagreement over the applicable legal framework, the status of the enumerated structures and the outstanding compensation owed to the affected communities.