In 2008, Charles Taleog Ndanbon, a modest yet determined small-scale miner at the Gbane community in the Upper East Region of Ghana, was selected by the Ghanaian government as part of a delegation of promising miners to visit China.

It was a pivotal moment for Charles and his colleagues, as they represented the aspirations of many small-scale miners across the country. Hopes were high, not just for Charles and his fellow delegates, but for the future of Ghana’s small-scale mining sector. The small-scale miners hailed the then-ruling New Patriotic Party for such positive intervention.

One of the key objectives of the trip was to explore modernised and best small-scale mining practices and to attract foreign investment to the mineral-rich but underdeveloped Upper East Region and Ghana as a whole.

Before embarking on the journey, Charles had already made significant progress at home. Prior to the trip, Charles had legally acquired a small-scale mining concession and was operating within the regulatory framework. His enterprise, the Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group, had begun to gain local recognition for its responsible mining practices and active community engagement.

Forging Global Partnerships for Local Transformation

Charles returned from China not only with technical insights and new knowledge but with a groundbreaking partnership. During the mission, he met representatives from Shanxi Mining Company, a major Chinese conglomerate seeking to expand into West Africa. Impressed by Charles’s vision, legal compliance, and grassroots credibility, both parties agreed to collaborate.

Back in Ghana, the Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group and Shanxi Mining Company formalised their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2008. Under the agreement, Shanxi would provide advanced machinery and technical expertise, while Charles would contribute legally secured mining concessions, strong community ties, and on-the-ground operational leadership.

The collaboration was hailed as a model of cross-border cooperation — a unique fusion of local initiative and foreign investment. For a time, it thrived.

Together, the two entities streamlined operations, improved safety standards, and significantly boosted productivity. In a region often overlooked by major investors, their venture became a powerful symbol of what could be achieved when local legitimacy meets global opportunity.

Transforming Wealth into Wellbeing: Charles’s Vision for Gbane and Beyond

Through the collaboration, Charles facilitated the construction of four boreholes in water-starved areas, providing over 2,000 people with access to clean drinking water. He also ensured the payment of school fees for more than fifty children from underprivileged backgrounds and awarded scholarships to talented youth.

Under the partnership, Charles facilitated the financing of road construction linking isolated farming villages to Talensi’s main market centres.

Additionally, he supported women’s cooperatives and small businesses, and invested in health campaigns, youth empowerment programs, and teacher incentives.

“Charles is not just a miner, he’s a community developer. He built roads, paid school fees, and gave our children a future. Now, he’s the one being robbed,” said Mr Yaro Zumah, the Secretary to the late Chief of Gbane.

The Betrayal Beneath the Soil

Despite his strong partnership and contributions, Charles’s relationship with Shanxi Mining took a shocking turn in 2019. Without his consent or any formal renegotiation of the MoU, the Chinese mining company registered a new entity using Charles’s concession details: the very license he had lawfully acquired. Shanxi Mining proceeded to launch full-scale operations independently, cutting Charles out entirely. This move reportedly occurred under the watch of the then Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, a wing of the NPP administration.

A document cited by this writer confirms that the Minerals Commission, under the supervision of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources at the time, granted Shanxi Mining, which later rebranded as Early International, a 14-year license to mine on Charles’s concession, without his involvement.

In another development, an insider from within the regulatory body revealed that the Managing Director of Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group, Charles, had earlier submitted all required documents and paid the necessary fees for license renewal, as mandated by Ghana’s mining laws. Yet, for reasons best known only to the authorities, the renewal was inexplicably delayed or denied.

This raises troubling questions: Were the regulators bribed by the company to twist Ghana’s mining laws in favour of foreign interests at the expense of a Ghanaian small-scale miner?

“They used Charles as a ladder to enter Ghana,” said a legal practitioner (name withheld) familiar with the case. “Once they had their foot in the door, they kicked it down.”

Charles, the rightful concession holder and original local partner, found himself excluded from managerial decisions, financial benefits, and even physical access to the mining site. His efforts to resolve the matter directly with Shanxi Mining were ignored. Repeated appeals to the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and other regulatory bodies were met with silence or inaction—a silence many attributed to systemic failure of the justice system in Ghana.

“The breach of trust under this New Patriotic Party government is appalling,” Charles told this reporter. “This Chinese mining company made millions from my concession. And when it was time to share the benefits, I was cast aside as if I had no role in the partnership. All I want is justice—for them to honour the agreement we signed.”

Community Rises, Leaders Speak Out

In 2019, the betrayal of Charles reverberated across Gbane and the broader Talensi District. Residents, youth groups, and traditional leaders in Talensi organised protests, demanding the then-ruling government's intervention.

Placards and petitions carried powerful messages: “Justice for Charles, Justice for Talensi!” and “Foreigners Must Respect Ghanaian Laws!”

Charles launched a series of petitions to the desks of government agencies and the corridors of Parliament under the then government regime (NPP government). Coupled with the overwhelming local support, Charles' case remains in limbo.

Legal fees are mounting, his development projects have stalled, and the very system that once celebrated him now appears to have turned a blind eye.

As the dust settles over the goldfields of Gbane, the nation watches and waits.

Will Ghana’s justice system under the current ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government rise up to the challenge or once again allow foreign interests to trample local justice? It is worth noting that during the previous NPP administration, numerous appeals to the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and other regulatory authorities were either ignored or received no meaningful response.

At the time, many stakeholders blamed this inaction on deep-rooted issues within Ghana’s justice system.

Now, there is renewed hope. Small-scale miners, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, and youth groups alike are calling on the current ruling National Democratic Congress government to act decisively through the legal system. Their demand is clear: Shanxi Mining Company, now operating as Early International, must be held accountable.

The company stands accused of breaching the MoU it signed with Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group. The alleged exploitative practices by Shanxi must be addressed through Ghana’s justice system. Failure to do so would not only deny justice to one miner but also risk setting a dangerous precedent, one that could embolden foreign mining companies to exploit local small-scale miners across the country.

As the dust settles over the goldfields of Gbane, the nation watches and waits.

Will Ghana’s justice system under the current ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government rise up to the challenge or once again allow foreign interests to trample local justice? It is worth noting that during the previous NPP administration, numerous appeals to the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and other regulatory authorities were either ignored or received no meaningful response.

At the time, many stakeholders blamed this inaction on deep-rooted issues within Ghana’s justice system.

Now, there is renewed hope. Small-scale miners, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, and youth groups alike are calling on the current ruling National Democratic Congress government to act decisively through the legal system. Their demand is clear: Shanxi Mining Company, now operating as Early International, must be held accountable.

The company stands accused of breaching the MoU it signed with Yenyeya Small Scale Mining Group. The alleged exploitative practices by Shanxi must be addressed through Ghana’s justice system. Failure to do so would not only deny justice to one miner but also risk setting a dangerous precedent, one that could embolden foreign mining companies to exploit local small-scale miners across the country.

Charles, under the current regime, continues his legal battle, weary but resolute. “All I want is what is due me,” he said. “Let them honour the MoU. Let them pay what they owe. Let justice be done.

Speaking to some legal experts in an interview, they stressed that the MoU signed between Charles and Shanxi remains binding under Ghana’s Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and relevant contract laws. The company’s actions, registering a new firm under Charles' concession and operating without renegotiation, amount to a flagrant breach of both contract and the mining regulations.

It is very important to stress that Charles' legal battle with this foreign mining company is not just about Charles. It is about the message it sends to foreign investors and local businesses alike. If foreign companies can flout legal agreements and get away with it, we are creating a dangerous precedent that undermines our entire business and legal environment. This is about setting a precedent that Ghanaian laws and contracts are not optional.

The state has a duty to protect its citizens from foreign exploitation. If we cannot defend our legal miners, we embolden illegal operators and discredit the entire licensing system. At its heart, this case is about more than one man. It is about a nation’s moral and legal issues that need to be resolved.

Charles believed in partnership, transparency, and progress. What he got was betrayal. Justice delayed is development denied. Charles deserves better. Ghana deserves better.