(VIDEO) Lands Minister Orders Immediate Takeover of Adamus Mines After Licence Revocation
The Minerals Commission is to assume control after serious safety and regulatory breaches were cited.
- Lands Minister orders immediate takeover.
- Mining leases revoked over regulatory breaches.
- Tailings dam safety concerns triggered shutdown.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has directed the Minerals Commission to take immediate administrative control of Adamus Resources Limited’s mining operations following the revocation of the company’s mining leases.
The affected leases include those covering the Salma and Akango mining concessions.
The directive follows recommendations from the Chief Inspector of Mines and the Minerals Commission, which cited serious breaches of the Minerals and Mining Act and related safety regulations.
A Ministerial Review Committee established to consider a petition filed by Adamus Resources subsequently upheld the revocation after concluding that the violations warranted the full cancellation of the company’s mining leases.
The Minister gave the directive during a working visit to the mining facility with officials of the Minerals Commission, where he received a report from the Interim Management Committee (IMC) overseeing the operations. 
Mr. Buah outlined key priorities for the takeover, stressing that the welfare of workers, operational safety and job security must remain central to the process.
Chairperson of the Minerals Commission’s Interim Management Committee, Mawufemor Otsyino, provided details of the challenges identified at the mine.
She said inspectors from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised serious concerns during a site inspection conducted on May 21.
According to her, the mine lacked adequate freeboard—the safety margin between the water level and the crest of the tailings dam—after construction of the facility exceeded its expected completion timeline by between 12 and 18 months.
She explained that unusually heavy rainfall in May and June further aggravated the situation.
Ms. Otsyino said management subsequently suspended operations on June 22 to mobilise resources to remove excess water from the tailings dam and safeguard its structural stability.
The Minerals Commission is expected to oversee the administrative takeover while measures are implemented to address the safety, operational and workforce concerns associated with the mine.
