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A legally registered mining company, Mining and Construction Services, is on the verge of shutting down its operations due to a violent takeover by hundreds of illegal miners at its concession in Anyankyirem, Obuasi municipality. The company’s Managing Director, Andy Amoah, secured the concession in 2020 for large-scale mining activities, but since May 2025, artisanal miners, known as “galamseyers,” have invaded the site, defying orders to vacate.
The illegal miners claim that the recent change in government has granted them the right to mine the land, a claim that has no basis in Ghana’s mining laws. This takeover has brought the $168 million project to a standstill, with Amoah expressing deep concern over the lack of enforcement from authorities tasked with protecting legitimate businesses.
Amoah has called on the central government to intervene immediately, stating that all appeals to local and regional authorities have been unsuccessful. “We have followed due process, but we have been rendered powerless. These illegal miners have taken over, and we cannot access our own site,” he said. The company is providing jobs and following environmental regulations, yet it’s being punished.
The situation is becoming increasingly urgent, with excavators continuing to dig without permission. Amoah emphasized that the state must protect its investors and enforce the law to prevent further destruction. The Obuasi Municipal Security Council has been unreachable for comment.
