Youth in Bogoso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, blocked buses belonging to Fridoug, a contract company of Heath Goldfields, after the Managing Director of the mining company Patrick Appiah Mensah failed to be present at a scheduled town-hall meeting with the community.
Heath Goldfields had organised the meeting to outline its one-year development plan for the Bogoso community. According to reports, three officials from the company’s Community Development Department were delegated to represent management at the engagement.
However, some youth at the meeting objected to the absence of the Managing Director, insisting that the head of the company should personally address the gathering considering the importance of the issues being discussed.
According to the youth, the presence of the Managing Director would have provided a stronger basis for accountability regarding commitments made to the community.
The youth subsequently boycotted the meeting and demanded that the Managing Director appear before 6 p.m. the same day before any further engagement would take place. They also warned they would take action if the request was not met.
Following the failure of the Managing Director to appear, the youth blocked and held buses belonging to Fridoug.
“We want to be taken seriously, especially in terms of employment. There are equally competent and highly skilled individuals in Bogoso. The company is aware of this, but has consistently ignored us,” Cosmos Arthur, Secretary of the youth group, told ConnectNews.
According to him, even some menial jobs had been given to non-residents, a situation the youth believe undermines the company’s relationship with the host community.
“When we stopped one bus, there were 21 people onboard. Out of the number, only four of the workers were from Bogoso. This is sad and cannot continue to happen,” he stated.
He warned that the youth would continue their protest until more employment opportunities are made available to residents of the area.
The latest action adds to a series of demonstrations by youth in the community over employment concerns linked to mining activities in the area.
Community demands for employment opportunities remain a recurring issue in the country’s mining sector, where expectations for local participation and economic benefits often shape relations between mining companies and their host communities.
However, Heath Goldfields has maintained that it continues to engage youth from its host communities.
By Eric Yaw Adjei
