400 Bogoso-Prestea Mine workers rage at Duffuor’s company

….Cite deceit and unpaid benefits

More than a year after Heath Goldfields seized the Bogoso-Prestea Mine from Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited under highly questionable circumstances, the takeover has descended into one of Ghana’s most explosive labour and investment crises.

Over 400 former workers state that the firm, owned by former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor and supported by the previous Akufo-Addo government, has misled them, deprived them of their livelihoods, and shown complete disregard for their rights and welfare.

At a press briefing on Friday, October 31, 2025, the distressed ex-employees led by Gabriel Madobi Oklettey, accused Heath Goldfields of deceit, discrimination and financial neglect, warning that hundreds of families have been left to fend for themselves in poverty.

“The company has destroyed lives,” one worker stated bitterly. “We trusted them. Instead, they abandoned us and our children.”

Once touted as a major turnaround project, Bogoso-Prestea has instead become synonymous with political patronage, regulatory negligence and investor distrust.

Heath Goldfields dismissed more than 400 workers shortly after assuming control of the mine, citing “operational restructuring” and the need to place the operation under “care and maintenance”.

The workers stated they accepted the retrenchment in good faith, trusting the company to honour all their lawful entitlements, including salary arrears, bonuses, provident fund contributions, and severance pay.

However, over a year later, they allege that only partial payments covering portions of salary arrears and provident fund contributions have been made.

“Beyond these limited payments, Heath Goldfields has failed to honour its full obligations,” the petition stated.

They further accuse the company of discriminatory practices, claiming that compensation has been selectively paid to individuals “aligned with certain union interests”, leaving others without any support.

“The situation has plunged many families into severe hardship,” one worker lamented. “We were told to trust the process, but the company has only deceived us and delayed justice.”

Following months of tension, the affected workers petitioned the Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea Huni Valley, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, the Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.

In response, the Lands Minister visited the mine on 24 May 2025 and subsequently issued a 120-day ultimatum to Heath Goldfields to start payments to the affected workers.

That directive resulted in limited payouts to a few employees, but five months on, the petitioners say the company has failed to comply with the minister’s instructions fully.

“Without this intervention, not a single non-unionised worker would have received any compensation,” the petition stated.

The petition references a memorandum dated 27 August 2025, in which Heath Goldfields committed to settling all outstanding provident fund contributions and benefits by the end of September. However, by the end of October, fewer than half of the affected workers had received their entitlements.

A subsequent memo extended the payment deadline to December 2025, which the workers say reflects “continued bad faith and evidence of financial incapacity”.

They also mention that the company has not provided any assurance regarding the payment of the 2023 annual bonus, end-of-service benefits, accrued leave days, or redundancy packages, a direct violation of Section 18 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), which requires the full settlement of benefits upon termination of employment.

Beyond unpaid benefits, the petitioners allege serious operational and regulatory breaches, including the unauthorised movement of gold-bearing materials from the site to undisclosed locations, in violation of mining protocols.

They claim Heath Goldfields has refused to engage transparently with workers, regulators, and community stakeholders, increasing mistrust and causing repeated disruptions at the mine.

The petition further claims that the company was granted the Bogoso-Prestea mining lease on the understanding that it would settle all outstanding debts and liabilities inherited from Golden Star Resources through FGR/Blue Gold, a condition the workers say has not been met.

“This failure undermines the credibility of the entire lease transfer process and raises serious concerns about the due diligence conducted before the reassignment,” the petition noted.

For the 400 workers who were laid off, the dispute has shifted from corporate rivalry to a matter of survival.

They are urging the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission, and all relevant authorities to ensure Heath Goldfields pays all owed entitlements, including provident fund arrears, severance packages, and bonuses.

They are also calling for a thorough financial and operational audit of Heath Goldfields to assess whether the company is capable of managing the Bogoso-Prestea Mine responsibly.

The reassignment of the mine lease to Heath Goldfields sparked intense controversy, with allegations that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, then led by Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, the Minerals Commission, and Heath Goldfields acted in concert to unlawfully dispossess FGR/Blue Gold of their mining rights.

Industry analysts say the timeline of events bears the hallmarks of a coordinated scheme.

Heath Goldfields, incorporated on 6 February 2024 with a stated capital of GH₵10,000, applied for the mining lease just a week later, on 13 February, despite the lease still being legally held by FGR/Blue Gold.

By 12 November 2024, the Ministry had approved the Minerals Commission’s recommendation to reassign the lease to Heath Goldfields.

In a puzzling twist, a second letter dated 20 November suspended the reassignment, yet four days later, Heath Goldfields had already mobilised to the site and forcibly occupied the mine, seizing vehicles, residential assets, and even gold stockpiles belonging to FGR.

Observers say the occupation violated Act 703, as parliamentary ratification, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval, and Mine Inspectorate certification had not been obtained.

A mining expert described the situation as “an institutionally sanctioned galamsey cloaked in officialdom”.

FGR acquired the Bogoso-Prestea Mine from Golden Star Resources in October 2020, inheriting a US$60 million debt. Despite promises to recapitalise and modernise operations, the company faced labour unrest, inherited unpaid severance liabilities, and delays in social security payments.

By 2023, union leaders, reportedly frustrated, petitioned the government to revoke FGR’s lease.

Blue Gold Bogoso Prestea Limited, supported by new financing commitments, including a US$150 million bond listed on Nasdaq and an additional US$80 million facility, aimed to restructure and revive the mine. The plan was submitted on 30 January 2024 and received conditional approval in April.

Blue Gold subsequently met all financing conditions, but before operations could restart, the lease was abruptly terminated in September 2024, followed by a backdated termination notice in January 2025. The sequence of events, analysts say, confirms a coordinated effort to dispossess Blue Gold and transfer the asset to a politically-connected operator.

Blue Gold has since filed for international arbitration, seeking US$1 billion in damages for what it describes as “state-enabled expropriation” and breach of Ghana’s investment treaties. The company maintains it has the financial and technical capacity to operate the mine and has offered to withdraw the claim if the lease is restored.

Meanwhile, Heath Goldfields continues to occupy the mine, reportedly operating without full statutory permits from the EPA, the Water Resources Commission, and the Mine Inspectorate.

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