Residents Call On Goldfields To Conduct ‎Building ‎Structures Survey At Tarkwa-Brahabebome 

Residents of Brahabebome New Settlement Area
have raised concerns over blasting activities by Gold Fields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine, alleging the air blasting activities of the company are causing cracks on their building structures.

Against this background, the residents near a multinational gold mining operation are concerned about structural damage to their buildings from air blasting, and they are requesting a thorough investigation by the mining company to assess the extent of the damage and its causes. 

The foregoing call was made by the Chairman of the Brahabebome New Landlords Association, Mr Emmanuel Brew Armoo on behalf of the residents during the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly-sub security committee meeting on Brahabebome gold mining activities impact study.

The meeting which was held on Friday June 27,2025 was attended by the chiefs, Assembly members, key security personnel, opinion leaders, top officials of Environmental Protection Agency, officials of Minerals Commission and staff of the gold mining company.

The residents lamented over the poor road network within the Brahabebome township.

This request from the residents of Brahabebome new settlement area stems from the potential for blasting to create vibrations, dust, and other impacts that can negatively affect nearby structures.

Air Blasting and Structural Damage

Air blasting, a common practice in mining, can cause vibrations that weaken or damage nearby buildings. 

Dust and Air Quality Concerns

According to the residents air blasting process 
of the company also generates dust, which can contain harmful particles and affect air quality, potentially impacting the health of residents.

Need for Investigation

Residents are seeking a comprehensive investigation by the mining company to identify and document any structural damage caused by the blasting activities, as well as assess the associated health risks.

Community Impact

The potential for damage to buildings and health concerns highlights the broader impact of mining operations on the surrounding community.

In a meeting on Thursday June 26, 2025, during a tour, 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.

They also appealed to the government of President John Dramani Mahama to impress upon the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to ensure the company resettle and compensate them.

We are ready to be compensated and resettled," they made the appeal 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.

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.

They stated that the Goldfields obtained approval to work in 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 in a couple of week ago mine  less than 300 metre away without their knowledge.

But in a quick rebuttal, the custodians of Brahabebome land in the Apinto Divisional Area under the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council have cautioned encroachers—speculative settlers on Goldfields Ghana Limited Tarkwa Mine-acquired lands closed to the Mantrim Pits concession at 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  these speculative settlers went to build their houses closed to the Mantrim Pits in South East area of Brahabebome, 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 the company 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 closed to the Mantrim Pits and the chief of the area, Nana Kwesi Ansah I.

He was of the that view the 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, he indicated that 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 various land transactions in the place in question at Brahabebome, 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 clarified.

 Dr. Nana Adarkwa Bediako III on behalf of the custodians of Brahabebome land vehemently denied that the company has been engaging 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 some key stakeholders 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 Mantrim Pits 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.

Speaking further, the Dzaasetse 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.