The forest, which holds spiritual significance for the people, is considered sacred. According to Nana Kwame Akomea, Akwanserahene of Akyem Kotoku, the area serves as a dwelling place for their gods, making any mining activity there a taboo.

In protest, the communities staged a demonstration and presented a petition to the Birim North Municipal Chief Executive and the Minerals Commission, urging authorities to stop the company from proceeding with its operations.

Residents warned that if the government fails to act, they may be forced to take matters into their own hands to protect their land and heritage.

Some locals also highlighted the severe environmental consequences of destroying the 600-hectare KwaaKru forest reserve, calling on the government to intervene immediately to safeguard their properties and ecosystem.

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Shenzhen-listed gold mining firm Beijing Xiaocheng Technology Stock Co disclosed in its half-year financial report released on Wednesday that “five to six” suspects had been arrested and detained at a police station in Ghana.

Security agencies in the West African nation were “still searching for the whereabouts of the gold”, according to the company.

Africa has been a major investment destination for Chinese companies seeking minerals and resources overseas, but there are growing concerns over the security risks, and Beijing has vowed to ramp up protection for workers and assets abroad.

Beijing Xiaocheng, which is engaged in gold mining, production, processing and sales, said Ghanaian security agencies had issued a bounty for the arrest of those responsible for the robbery on April 18.

It said 11 people were believed to be involved in the armed attack on the Chinese company’s subsidiary, Akroma Gold Mining Co, in Esaase, in the Kwahu West municipality of Ghana’s eastern region.

The company said Akroma reinforced security measures at the gold mine after the attack.

According to local media reports in April, heavily armed assailants targeted the company’s processing area, stealing gold and assaulting and injuring several workers, including Chinese expatriates.

Beijing Xiaocheng said the attackers, who were wearing masks, broke into the Akroma processing plant from an undeveloped area of the mine.

It said workers at the mine, including Chinese citizens, were injured after security personnel were overpowered but there were no fatalities.

The robbers fled with 12kg of gold that was to be exported that day, causing a direct economic loss of US$900,000, according to the financial report.

Beijing Xiaocheng, which owns three gold mines in Ghana, said the Akroma mine had resumed normal business activities after the attack.

The company also has solar power generation projects including a 20MW photovoltaic power station in Ghana that has been operating for over a decade.

Gold is Ghana’s top export, earning the country US$9.53 billion in 2022, according to Observatory of Economic Complexity data. Nearly half of Ghana’s gold is exported to the United Arab Emirates, while Switzerland, India and Hong Kong are all major buyers.

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The victims were targeted in a robbery at the office of Jia Xin Industrial mining company, which undertook underground mining within old shafts in the area.

Reports indicate that a group of approximately 15 armed robbers stormed the mining site during a social gathering at night, making off with Ghc10,000 cash and two gold bars.

One of the victims sustained a gunshot injury in his private part.

The assailants disabled the CCTV cameras by confiscating their decoders, demonstrating a calculated and organized approach to the robbery.

“15 people executed the mission, tough guys. They didn’t pass through the Akokoaso Kade road. They took along the decoders of the CCTV cameras. They didn’t target other civilians. The company is licensed to do deep mining prospecting in the Akokoaso old shaft but taking undue advantage to mine to that extent,” a source familiar with the incident told Starr News.

The victims have been hospitalized and receiving treatment.

There have been longstanding tensions between the mining company and the local community.

Over the years, residents have accused Jia Xin Industrial of engaging in illegal mining practices, particularly due to their lack of proper licensing for extensive underground mining activities, which have reportedly caused damage to the area.

Jia Xin Industrial Company inherited the prospecting license from Ofosua Mining and Construction Company in 2018, following approval by then-Minister John Peter Amewu.

However, recent confrontations between the company and local youth have escalated, with 16 individuals from Akokoaso being arrested three weeks prior for illegal mining activities on the company’s concession, allegedly at the behest of Chinese authorities.

The mining company has suffered many robbery attacks in recent times.

The Deputy Minister was left with no choice but to issue this directive after conducting a thorough inspection of the company on Friday, October 27, 2023.

During his visit, he uncovered numerous violations in the company’s operations that could not be ignored.

He was particularly unhappy about the absence of essential safety protocols at the company, the non-utilisation of granted concessions, and the blatant disregard for the nation’s mineral laws.

He was unhappy to learn that the company has not been able to develop its concessions and also not act in accordance with the tenets of its license.

Addressing the management of the company during the tour, the Deputy Minister disclosed the temporal closure is a proactive step taken by him to prevent the company from complete collapse.

He noted that as Deputy Minister, he has the responsibility to ensure the survival of the company and the ban which will last for six months will allow the company to put in the right measures that will ensure its revival.

Mr. Duker explained that, it is in the interest of the country that mining companies thrive in their operations and that the ministry through the Minerals Commission will collaborate with the management

“Stop whatever you are doing, the ministry will write and invite you to Accra for us to guide you. Our intent is not to stop companies or frustrate investors but to guide investors to recoup their investors meaningfully. We are here to see Gang He operating to the optimum. If you can’t run me through safety protocols, then it means the bases are not right”.

“We want to see you operate profitably so that Ghanaians will have work to do. We don’t want the company to close down because you have Ghanaians working here and their livelihoods depend on you. We want to see you mining to meet international best practices,” he said.

He also implored the company to seek extra investment to enable it to develop the concessions it has been granted.

“It is very unfortunate and I don’t see why if our grade isn’t giving that opportunity to be commercially viable, you can add and invest in technology that will make you economically viable. You can form synergies. Form synergies if you don’t have the capital to inject it into your mines to upgrade and lift your concessions.

“When we give you the license, we expect you to use the license to engage meaningfully. Operating meaningfully doesn’t depend on one person. It could fall on synergies. You could add some companies to add to what you have. We need more companies. It is not enough acquiring a license all over. You can’t secure concessions and leave them. We won’t tolerate that,” he said.

The District Chief Executive of Wassa Akropong in the Western Region lamented the inability of the company to develop its huge concession.

He described the development as unfortunate but assured of the preparedness of the assembly to help the company retool its operations and resume mining activities.