The Mahama government appears to be angling towards its first major scandal with a strange reprieve that it has proffered a galamsey-perpetrating mining company, with the plot to the development eerily similar to former President Akufo-Addo’s clearance of Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mines.
Like the Akufo-Addo government publicly shielded Akonta Mines when it became obvious that the company, which is owned by Bernard Antwi Boasiako, alias Wontumi, Ashanti regional Chairman of the then ruling NPP, was engaged in illegal mining, so is the Mahama government shielding Adamus Resources Limited, a mining company controversially owned by Angela Diala List.
List is the daughter of respected National Democratic Congress party elder, Daniel Abodakpi.
Abodakpi’s daughter’s company, Adamus Resources, is the subject of very serious criminal infractions, by way of both illegal mining activities and attendant financial crimes, including the evasion of taxes and possible money laundering.
The infractions led to a revocation of three mining leases by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, but rather than let them face the music, the same Mahama government, which is prosecuting Chairman Wontumi over the sins of Akonta Mines, has announced that it is granting a reprieve to Adamus.
The announcement to this effect was contained in an August 21, 2026 release from the Office of the President’s spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
According to the release, the government has given mining firm Adamus Resources Limited a fresh opportunity to revive its mining operations, days after upholding the revocation of three of the company’s mining leases following months of regulatory scrutiny and a dispute over alleged breaches of Ghana’s mining laws.
Under a new arrangement, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and Adamus Resources have been tasked with developing a 12-month roadmap to turn the mine around.
The roadmap will include the formation of a six-member management team, comprising three representatives from Adamus and three from the government, to supervise the turnaround of the mine.
The presidency said the agreement followed a meeting aimed at resolving the dispute between the two sides and “to salvage what is one of a few operating indigenous large-scale mines.”
This arrangement gives a blind eye to the various serious mining infractions that Adamus has committed.
In early 2026, the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission conducted inspections into the operations of Adamus Resources Limited on its Akango, Salman and Nkroful mining concessions in the Western Region.
According to the Commission, the investigations uncovered several serious breaches of Ghana’s mining laws, including unauthorized subcontracting of portions of its concessions to foreign nationals without the Minister’s approval, contrary to Section 14 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); and Mining outside approved operational areas.
Also, the company was found to have been operating without approved operating permits from the Chief Inspector of Mines; Failed to obtain the required environmental and forestry approvals and was alleged to have used foreign nationals in mining activities, contrary to applicable laws.
Acting on the recommendations of the Minerals Commission, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, on 26 April 2026, revoked Adamus Resources’ three mining leases covering Akango, Salman, and Nkroful.
The Ministry stated that the revocation formed part of the government’s broader effort to enforce mining regulations and combat illegal mining activities (“galamsey”), regardless of whether offenders were small-scale operators or large mining companies.
Adamus rejects the decision
Adamus Resources immediately rejected the allegations. However, rather than proceeding directly to court, Adamus submitted a formal petition to the Minister requesting that the revocation be reconsidered.
The company asked the government to “temper justice with mercy.”
The Minister subsequently established an independent Ministerial Review Committee to examine Adamus’ petition and the merits of the case. An Interim Management Committee to supervise operations at the mine while the review was ongoing.
The Review Committee undertook an extensive examination of the petition and revisited revisited the original allegations but also uncovered additional issues, including Adamus’ alleged failure to cooperate fully with investigators; the company’s alleged concealment of information; approximately US$2.56 million in unpaid mineral rights fees; about GH¢86.8 million in unpaid royalties; approximately GH¢290.5 million in tax arrears; unexplained discrepancies in reported gold exports; transfers of about US$224 million to related parties abroad between 2020 and 2024; partially fulfilled environmental bond obligations.
After receiving the Committee’s final report in August 2026, the Minister concluded that the findings supported the original decision.
He therefore upheld the revocation of Adamus Resources’ three mining leases.
The Minister stated that the Review Committee had affirmed the significant breaches identified by the Minerals Commission and that the government would proceed with enforcement.
The Minerals Commission was then directed to take immediate administrative control of the Salman mine, with an Interim Management Committee asked to continue overseeing operations pending further government decisions.
Following the Minister’s determination, Adamus again rejected the outcome. Adamus announced that it would pursue further legal and administrative avenues to challenge the revocation.
But just as observers were looking forward to a legal battle, Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced that the government has given Adamus a reprieve.
Now, observers are asking how the Mahama government, which has jailed Chairman Wontumi for 20 years over galamsey, managed to convince itself that in the case of Angela List, a reprieve is ok.
The different strokes for different galamsey folks are already shaping up to be the first major scandal of the Mahama government, which until now has managed a squeaky-clean image.
