Tension is mounting at Manso Nyakomase in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region following a heated standoff between residents and an unidentified group alleged to be behind an unauthorized land reclamation exercise on the community’s small-scale mining concession.
The residents, made up of miners, youth groups, and opinion leaders, have accused the unidentified group of attempting to take over their mining site under the pretext of conducting a government-sanctioned reclamation exercise.
They insist that no such authorization has been granted and have vowed to resist any move that seeks to deprive them of their source of livelihood.
The incident has sparked widespread tension in the community, with many residents describing the move as a “coordinated attempt” to seize their legally acquired concession without their consent.
Speaking on Ghanakoma morning show on Akoma 87.9FM in Kumasi with Sir John on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the leader of the youth group, Kofi Osei, said, the youth in the community is ready to carry out the reclamation exercise as they have done it before.
He called for the immediate withdrawal of all heavy-duty equipment that had reportedly been moved onto their land.
He expressed serious frustration over the development, describing it as both unlawful and provocative.
Osei pointed out that the area under contention is not a government concession, forest reserve, or river buffer zone, but rather privately owned land belonging to families and individuals within Manso Nyakomase.
He accused the unidentified group of deliberately attempting to create confusion in the area by disguising their activities as part of a reclamation project, even though the community had received no official communication from the District Assembly, the Minerals Commission, or the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources about any such exercise.
“We are not working in any forest or along a river body. This is our own land — our ancestral inheritance. We are responsible miners who understand the value of land reclamation. We will reclaim our land ourselves once we are done mining. Nobody has the right to come here with machines without our consent,” Mr. Osei explained.
He cautioned that the residents would not tolerate any attempt to impose a reclamation exercise on them while they are still engaged in mining activities.
He told Sir John that, such interference not only threatens the peace of the community but also risks destroying their main source of income.
“This attempt is completely unacceptable. Whoever is behind this must stop immediately. We are giving them three days to remove all excavators and machines from our land. If they fail to do so, we will take every necessary step to protect what rightfully belongs to us,” he warned.
The Assemblyman of Manso Kompeseh Electoral Area, Stephen Nsiah Kesse, called for calm among the youth in the community.
He confirmed that, the Assembly is aware of the reclamation exercise by the group but was surprised that the group failed to meet the community members before bringing their machines to the community.
The agreement was that the group should meet with opinion leaders and the various youth groups in the community before bringing their machines.
He also confirmed that, the group has documents from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to carry out such exercise.
