The Ghana Chamber of Mines has called for due process and regulatory certainty following the decision by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to uphold the revocation of Adamus Resources Limited’s Akango, Salman and Nkroful mining leases.
The decision followed a report by a Ministerial Review Committee set up to consider a petition by Adamus Resources Limited.
In a statement, the Chamber acknowledged the government’s authority to enforce Ghana’s mining laws but stressed the importance of fairness, due process and consistency in their application.
“The Chamber recognises the mandate of Government and the relevant regulatory institutions to enforce Ghana’s mining laws and to ensure responsible, safe and environmentally sustainable mining,” it said.
“Equally, the Chamber believes that adherence to the rule of law, due process, fairness, regulatory certainty and the consistent application of the law is fundamental to maintaining confidence in Ghana’s mining industry.”
The Chamber said it was engaging Adamus Resources and the relevant regulatory authorities to fully understand the circumstances, findings and processes that led to the decision.
“Given the significance of the matter, the Chamber is engaging Adamus Resources Limited and the relevant regulatory authorities to obtain a full understanding of the circumstances, findings and processes underlying the decision,” the statement said.
It said the engagements were particularly important given the potential impact of the decision on workers, contractors, host communities and legitimate investments in Ghana’s mining sector.
“The Chamber is particularly mindful of the need to safeguard workers and their livelihoods, contractors, host communities and legitimate investments in Ghana, while ensuring that the country’s laws and regulatory requirements are fully respected.”
The Chamber urged all parties to remain within the established legal and regulatory framework and use the appropriate channels to resolve any outstanding issues.
“We therefore encourage all parties to continue to act within the framework of Ghana’s laws and established regulatory processes and to pursue any outstanding matters through the appropriate legal and institutional channels.”
It said it would refrain from commenting further on the substantive issues until its engagements with the relevant stakeholders and processes were completed.
“The Chamber considers it appropriate to allow these engagements and processes to proceed before commenting further on the substantive issues.”
The Chamber of Mines said it remained committed to constructive dialogue with the government, its member companies and other stakeholders to promote a responsible, transparent, predictable and competitive mining industry.
Read the statement below
