Adamus Leases Revoked over Grave infractions of Law - Owes USD 2.56 million in unpaid mineral rights fees and other statutory Debts

STATEMENT BY LANDS AND MINES WATCH GHANA (LMWG)

LMWG Commends Minister's Decision to Uphold Revocation of Adamus Resources Mining Leases

Lands and Mines Watch Ghana (LMWG) welcomes the final determination by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, upholding the revocation of the Akango, Salman and Nkroful mining leases held by Adamus Resources Limited.

The findings underlying this decision, unauthorised assignment of mineral rights to foreign nationals, mining outside permitted areas without an approved Operating Permit, failure to secure environmental and forestry approvals before commencing operations, and deliberate concealment of information from the Interim Management Committee, represent precisely the pattern of regulatory evasion that LMWG's transparency and accountability work in the extractive sector seeks to expose.

Of particular concern to LMWG are the scale of the financial defaults uncovered: US$2.56 million in unpaid mineral rights fees, GHS 86.8 million in unpaid royalties, and GHS 290.5 million in tax arrears, alongside US$224 million transferred to related parties abroad between 2020 and 2024. These figures raise serious questions about revenue leakage in Ghana's mining sector that extend well beyond a single operator, and underscore the importance of rigorous, independent compliance monitoring.

LMWG endorses the Minister's stated intention to secure an order compelling Adamus to fully settle its royalty, tax and other financial obligations to the state, and urges that this be pursued without delay. We further call on the Minerals Commission to ensure that the environmental bonds still owed are fully secured, and that the transition to uninterrupted operations at the mine site does not come at the expense of continued regulatory scrutiny.

LMWG will continue to monitor developments at the Adamus concessions and similar cases as part of its Quarterly Compliance Performance Index, and stands ready to support government efforts to strengthen enforcement across the sector.

Lands and Mines Watch Ghana (LMWG)