Claims that communities around the Bogoso–Prestea Mine are divided over calls to terminate the contract of Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL) are being challenged by fresh developments, as traditional authorities intensify opposition to the company’s operations.
Critics of the “divided residents” narrative believe it may be part of a coordinated attempt to portray community support for HGL, despite growing dissatisfaction on the ground.
Information gathered is that, HGL is using few residents to push that agenda.
This plan is to highlight a small group of supportive voices to misrepresent the broader sentiment within the mining enclave.
It is however not true that, residents in host communities of Prestea, Himan, Dumasi, Bondaye, and Nakaba in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality are increasingly divided over calls by CACA to terminate Heath Goldfields Limited’s (HGL) contract to operate the Bogoso-Prestea Mine.
What is evident is that CACA’s call has been backed by Divisional Chiefs from the Bogoso–Prestea Mine catchment area who have equally raised serious concerns about the legality and credibility of the lease transfer to HGL.
Their intervention suggests that resistance to the company is not limited to a small activist group but is backed by key traditional leaders in the area.
The chiefs’ position follows the termination of the lease previously held by Future Global Resources in September 2024 after it reportedly failed to address regulatory breaches within a 120-day period.
While that decision was initially welcomed, the subsequent takeover by HGL has triggered deeper concerns.
At the heart of their demands are allegations of weak financial capacity, unresolved technical challenges, particularly flooded underground pits, and questions over how an operating permit was granted under such conditions.
The chiefs argue that these issues point to gaps in regulatory oversight and due diligence.
Their position directly contrasts with a circulating narrative suggesting that sections of residents oppose calls by the Catchment Area Community Alliance (CACA) to terminate HGL’s contract.
Instead, sources indicate that CACA’s actions are aligned with the concerns of traditional authorities, who are demanding a thorough review of the transition process.
They are now calling for urgent government intervention, including a full review of the lease transfer and immediate corrective measures to ensure the mine is managed by a technically and financially capable operator.
They warn that failure to address these concerns could undermine investor confidence and damage Ghana’s reputation in the global mining sector.
Meanwhile, claims by the company to have acquired new mining equipment have been considered to be false as information received indicates that the said equipment which the company claimed to have acquired belongs to Fridoug Construction Limited.
Residents say, the claims are nothing but an attempt to deceive the public.
As of now, the government has not publicly responded, but the escalating tension signals a deepening dispute over the future of the Bogoso–Prestea Mine.
BELOW IS PORTIONS OF THE FALSE NARRATIVE
ATTACH IS THE PETITION FROM THE DIVISIONAL CHIEFS
