It Is Goldfields Ghana Limited Concessionary Land; Prove Your Legal Stay On It—Brahabebome Land Custodians Warn Encroachers

CUSTODIANS of Brahabebome land in the Apinto Divisional Area under the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council in the Western Region, have cautioned encroachers—speculative settlers on Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine-acquired lands closed to the Mantrim Pits concession of South East area of Brahabebome to vacate them or face eviction.

The elders led by the Gyaasehene of the Apinto Divisional Area in Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III maintained that 
the company has lawfully acquired the land in question from the Apinto Stool and has engaged in its mining activities in the concession of Mantrim Pits before these speculative settlers went to build their houses closed to the pits, claiming that the company should compensate and resettle them.

According to him, the continous resettlement 
and compensation claims by a cross-section of people living at Brahabebome closed to Mantrim Pits of Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine is false, saying that these continous misconducts were posing challenges to the company.

"I believe these misconducts perpetrated by these individuals must stop, and must stop now," the Dzaasetse warned.  

He stresed that the fact of the matter is that the company would not at any point of time resettle those speculative settlers because they didn't have legal ownership or permission to occupy the land near Mantrim Pits of the company.

"Under my watch, the Apinto Divisional Area would not allow encroachers to take over the land acquired by the multinational gold company at Brahabebome meant for gold mining purposes," he reaffirmed.

The traditional office holder clarified that the individuals occupying the land in question in the area do not possess legally recognized documentation or building indentures for their claim to the land.

He explained that all the people who have claimed to have bought their plots of land from the sub- chief at Brahabebome, Nana Kwesi Ansah I or any other traditional office holders at Brahabebome without securing valid land indenture documents signed and certified from the Apinto Stool risk of losing their landed properties in the future.

He stated categorically that the stool had no hands in any land transactions between these individuals living closer to the Mantrim Pits and the chief of the area, Nana Ansah I.

He was of the view that per the customs and traditions of Apinto Divisional Stool any land transaction being done between the Odikro of Brahabebome, Nana Kwesi Ansah I and land developers, Odikro is mandated to bring part
of such monies to Apinto Divisional Stool.

In this regard, the elders of the Apinto Stool would endorse the land indenture documents for the land developer to satisfy the legal backing for the acquiring of such plot of land.

According to Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III, in this case of various land transactions in the place at Brahabebome in question, the elders of the Apinto stool hadn't received any money from Nana Kwesi Ansah I to justify their land purchsse claim in the area.

"No records of evidence in our book have showed that Nana Kwesi Ansah I has sold plot of land to these individuals land developers near Mantrim Pits at Brahabebome. So it is a fact their legal ownership claim of that particular land is completely in limbo or questionable," Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III stated.

In a finding mission by the journalist to Brahabebome on Thursday June 26, 2025, the members of Brahabebom New Town Landlords Association have tended their building site plans including their approval note for permanent buildings sined by Nana Kwesi Ansah I as the valid land documents to justify their ownership claim.

In that meeting, the members of the landlords claimed that they bought their plots of land closed to Mantrim Pits of the company from the sub-chief (Odikro) of Brahabebome Nana Kwesi Ansah I and developed before the company came to acquire the land.

They accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Minerals Commission of Ghana for aiding Goldfields to engage in illegal or irresponsible mining activities at Brahabebome, which had resulted in the loss of livelihood, displacement of dozens of landlords, pollution of many rivers and destruction of building properties.

The residents averred that the association was demanding that Goldfields complies with the 2018 Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) report and its key recommendations, amongst which are resettle all persons within 500m of the mining area, and repair damaged houses and compensate affected community members.

However, they stated that the Goldfields obtained approval to work 400m from our community in October 2018 but later left after community intervention. 

Unfortunately, the landlords ponited out that the company has now returned to Mantrim Pits mine  less than 300 metre away without their knowledge.

But in an interview with the journalist, Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III on behalf of the custodians of Brahabebome land vehemently denied that the company has been engaging in irresponsible mining activities which situation has caused serious environmental incidents in the area.

He indicated that the report from investigation conducted by University of Mines and Technology (UMAT) on the impact of Goldfields Ghana Limited gold mining activities proved that the mining activities were not responsible for defects in buildings at Brahabebome as being alleged by a cross section of the residents at Brahabebome.

According to him, the report of UMAT which was released to the public on Friday June 27, 2025 also exonerated Goldfields Tarkwa Mine of any wrong doing in relation to its current ongoing mining activities in the area.

He said they couldn't fathom why those people were still be fighting the company over its legally acquired land with the permission from the Environmental Protection Agency and Minerals Commission of Ghana to mine gold resources.

He revealed that they were aware that these individuals were fighting against the company after the company has refused to release part of its land at Mantrim Pits to some individuals to carry the yet to be operated underground Cooperative Mining Initiative aims to formalize and regulate small-scale mining operations in Ghana, particularly in response to illegal mining activities.

The traditional ruler dared the people to proving the right to stay on land near Mantrim Pits at Brahabebome, which requires demonstrating legal ownership or permission to occupy.

According to Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III, their records have showed that these people who are continously fighting the company to be compensated and resettled have no indenture documents covering their plots of land.

"There are facts that all these people have no titles to their lands. If indeed what they are always sayings are right we think we would support them because we would not allow the company to abuse their fundamental human rights. But in our records we think that these people's continuous ownership claim to the land closed to the Mantrim Pits of the Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine were false," the Dzasetse of Apinto Divisional Stool stated.

"What we are saying is that the people who are leaving closed to the Mantrim Pits of Goldfields if any of them have titles to their lands they should be boldly to come out to let me know. 

"If any of them have indenture documents on their plots of land and these indenture documents were given to them by the Apinto Stool before the Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine acquired that particular land for gold mining purposes which has engaged in its gold mining activities on the land in question for the past twenty-five (25) years now, these individuals land developers should come to the custodians of Brahabebome land to talk about it. 

"But if they had not gotten any valid indenture documents from the elders of Apinto Stool covering their plots of land in the area, then we think that their ownership claim was not true," Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III further stated.

According to the chief, the individuals making allegations against the company are deemed to be speculative settlers, and therefore their claims are considered unfounded. 

He added that the fact of the matter is that 
"if you go to the area now, you would find out that all these individuals who are making these allegations against the company, their houses built on the said land are less than twenty-five (25) years but it is on record that the Goldfields long existed on the land for more twenty-five years."

"If these groups of people know that the large commercial mining activities were ongoing in this area and the the company blasting activities would affect them why is it that these landlords would move there to build their properties closed to the mine," the chief rhetorically asked.  

"We the custodians of Brahabebome lands are law abiding people and that we cannot support or allow the company to engage in harmful mining activities against our people. But what we are saying is that the conduct of these individuals to build their houses closed to the mine was completely unacceptable," the Dzaasetse of Apinto Divisional Stool stated.

According to him, the company extensively engaged the people in the community including the traditional leaders and other key stakeholders before the company was permitted by the mining regulatory institutions to commerce or begin its gold operations in 2025.

He pointed out that the company explained in details of the new measures adopted including the modern technologies to prevent any impact or effect by its gold mining activities in the areas around its mining operations.

He indicated that a joint monitoring team including Brahabebome Landlords Association and police officers monitored every blasting activities of the company in Brahabebome enclave.

He asserted that it is on the public record that "to date all the various blasts monitored by the monitoring team are in compliance with the relevant environmental regulations and guidelines outlined in the Minerals and Mining Act, as well as other relevant environmental laws.

He added that this includes adhering to established limits for vibration, air overpressure, and fly rock, as well as ensuring proper safety precautions are taken during blasting operations of the company.

According to the traditional office holder, the new technology adopted by the company cannot kill and destroy any building as being alleged by the current media publication attributed to the Brahabebome New Landlords Association.  

They were of the view that the issue of the blast impact on the existing building structures at Brahabebome was source of compliance by the residents.

He mentioned that in 2024, a cross-section of
the people in the community petitioned Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly and copied to the Minerals Commission of Ghana, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) among other mining regulatory institutions on the impact of Goldfields Ghana Limited blasting activities on their building structures.

However, during the visit the senior journalist observed or witnessed how the company has carried its blasting activity on Thursday June 26, 2025 at its Mantrim Pits at Brahabebome through the use of the new technology.

The journalist can authoritatively report that the blasting activity that in day hasn't caused any environmental damage or any serious noise/ vibration.

Speaking further, the Dzaasehene pointed out that at the meeting of the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Security Committee with the representatives of the community and Goldfields Ghana Limited present, the meeting formed a sub-committee that tasked the University of Mines and Technology(UMaT) to investigate the matter.

He revealed that the final report which the team of UMaT released on Friday June 27, 2025 has showed that the current ongoing Goldfields Ghana Limited mining activities at Brahabebome is not responsible for any defects in building structure in the area.

He recalled that in 2015, a similar study was undertaken by Geo Consulting Limited and the result proved that Goldfields Ghana Limited mining activities were not responsible for defects in buildings ad being alleged by the group of residents at Brahabebome.

The Dzasetse therefore, called on His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the general public to disregard any publications attempting to link the company to irresponsible mining activities mining in the area.

He stated that they believe that these allegations are part of a deliberate campaign by few people to tarnish the reputation of the company which has been engaging in proper mining activities.

According to him, they would be the last persons to allow or support the company to engage in illegalities which would cause disturbances and  environmental accidents in the area.

"We would like to use this opportunity to deny in all reasonable terms that Goldfields is not involved in illegal mining activities that is killing and destroying building at Brahabebome as being alleged by the members of the landlords, Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III set the record straight.