JH Resources and Exploration Ghana Company Limited has denied reports that its workers were arrested for engaging in illegal mining in the Yakombo Forest Reserve in the Savannah Region.
Twenty-one individuals—11 Chinese nationals and 10 Ghanaians—were arrested by the Forestry Commission on December 2, 2025, during an operation targeting suspected galamsey activities in the reserve.
However, the company insists the arrested individuals were not involved in illegal mining. Its Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Amankra, said the workers were only reshaping access roads in preparation for construction when Forestry Commission officers arrived and detained them, along with seizing their equipment.
According to Amankra, the company has already renewed all necessary licences and is awaiting final authorisation from the Forestry Commission before beginning mining operations.
“We have renewed all the necessary licences and are currently awaiting authorisation from the Forestry Commission to begin work,” he said.
The Forestry Commission has rejected the company’s claims.
Savannah Regional Manager of the Commission, Frank Adomako-Kwabia, told Channel One News that JH Resources lacked the required permits to operate in the forest reserve. He said the team found the company actively engaging in illegal mining when officers intervened.
“The company was mining illegally when our team moved in, which resulted in the arrests and confiscation of machinery,” Adomako-Kwabia said.