Former workers of Bogoso Prestea mine are demanding a government audit of leaseholder Health Goldfields (HGL) and an action to secure their unpaid entitlements.
They accuse the company of unfair labor practices, selective payments, and a lack of transparency since taking over the mine.
The workers have called on the sector Minister and the Minerals Commission to investigate Health Goldfields’s compliance and financial standing and to compel the company to pay all outstanding provident fund arrears, bonuses, and redundancy packages.
The Bogoso-Prestea Mine, once a hub of employment, has become a symbol of broken promises for its former workforce. Their frustration culminated in a protest at Prestea, where about fifty ex-employees, clad in the red of defiance, demanded justice from Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL).
This protest is the latest chapter in the mine’s troubled story. After the previous owner, Future Global Resources (FGR), collapsed into insolvency, the government entrusted HGL with the lease in late 2024, tasking it with revitalizing the mine and settling all outstanding worker debts.
Yet, nearly a year later, the workers say they have seen nothing but “disappointment.” At a news conference, they accused HGL of ignoring clear government directives and betraying the trust of Ghanaians by failing to pay their provident funds, bonuses, and other entitlements.
Gabriel Mabobi, addressing the media on behalf of his fellow former miners, stated “We, the former workers of the Prestea Bogoso Mine, have reached our limit. We are exhausted by broken promises and deliberately delayed payments.
The profound suffering inflicted upon our families, many of us who have given decades of our lives to Ghana’s mining industry cannot and will not be allowed to continue unchecked.” He said.
Despite a legal obligation under Ghana’s Labour Act (Act 651) to pay terminated workers their full benefits, Heath Goldfields (HGL) has failed to do so. The workers state that the company reneged on a commitment in an August 27 internal memo to settle these arrears by September 2025.
In response, they are demanding the government immediately launch a comprehensive audit of Health Goldfields and compel the company to honor all its financial obligations, including provident fund.
We demand an immediate government intervention to Compelling Heath Goldfields to pay all outstanding entitlements, including provident fund arrears, bonuses, and redundancy packages.
And conducting a comprehensive financial and operational audit of the company to assess its capacity and compliance with lease conditions”. Gabriel Added.
However, in a meeting during the early weeks of September 2025, the Managing Director of Health Goldfields Limited, Patrick Appiah Mensah, stated that “Since assuming operations, we’ve committed to restoring confidence, creating value, and revitalizing the mine and its host communities.
Key achievements include: Paying over 100 million cedis in outstanding employee salaries and provident funds inherited from the previous lease operator, Engaging with the mine workers’ union on additional benefits and Settling GHC 16.8 million cedis owed to local contractors
These steps aim to restore trust, support local businesses, and stimulate economic growth.” He stated.
Efforts to get his reaction to the issues raised by the former workers proved futile as he is yet to respond to questions posed to him in this regard.
