A security guard at Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited, Namtibil Fahad, is grieving in Talensi, a district in the Upper East region, over his son, Mujah, who died through an accident that occurred inside the Chinese company’s gold mine on Thursday, 10 April 2025.
A native of the area told Media Without Borders the young man’s death had pushed the number of persons killed so far in mining-related accidents associated with the company since its arrival in the district in 2008 close to 80.
Shaanxi started off as a technical support service provider to two indigenous small-scale mining groups in the district— Yenyeya and Pubortaaba— until it turned into a large-scale mining company in 2018 and renamed itself Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited.
Its public relations officer, Albert Azongo, confirmed Mujah’s death to Media Without Borders but said he had no further comment to make.
Sources say a skip, a robust bucket used in transporting ore to the surface of a mine shaft or tunnel, fell on the watchman’s son underground, smashing his ribcage. He drew his last breath at the Upper East Regional Hospital.
Despite the company’s claim to have put safety measures in place, serious accidents keep happening at the mine.
Chain of injuries and deaths
An employee of the company, Godfred Nongbezina Nabil, had his right arm cut off by a machine at the mine on Wednesday, 17 May 2023.
Another employee, Victor Abisiyine Ayine, strangely did not return home from work on Monday, 10 July 2023. His younger brother, Jonathan, and some other relatives, appeared unannounced at the company’s site the following day before sunrise and demanded his whereabouts.
The search for his location ended after his body was found that morning in a pool of wastewater inside the company’s yard. He had accidentally fallen into the pool while on duty the previous day and remained in the wastewater overnight.
In December, 2023, Kwesi Boalbil suddenly collapsed on duty at the company’s mine and, shortly after he was taken to hospital, died.
About 5 weeks prior to Boalbil’s death, a worker named Eric Frimpong died in an accident on the company’s premises. The accident happened as he was setting up some rocks underground for blasting on Friday, 17 November 2023.
Two young Ghana Health Service nurses, Thomas Agombire and Gloria Atimbila, were run over by a speeding Shaanxi-owned Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number WX 8888- 18 on Wednesday, 21 August 2019, in the region. The crash occurred on the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom Road as the two nurses were returning home from work on one motorbike.
The crash affected Agombire’s right leg, resulting in doctors amputating the whole leg to save his life. Atimbila, who sat behind Agombire on the bike, was severely injured in the right eye and right hand. She underwent a series of surgeries financed with a loan she personally secured from a bank. The two nurses were never compensated by the company.
On Wednesday, 23 January 2019, a bunch of 16 young men died through an explosion at the company’s site. The Minerals Commission found the company culpable for that tragedy but no one from that company has been prosecuted from that time to date for the deaths of the 16 young men.
A few months ago, a human rights organisation, Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG), proposed in a letter a meeting with the company concerning its failure to provide an artificial arm for Godfred Nongbezina Nabil (mentioned earlier).
Media Without Borders learns the company has not responded to this letter as yet.
Meanwhile, the latest victim has been laid to rest in his native Gban, where the company operates. Sources say he was buried last Thursday (the same day of the incident) in accordance with the Islamic faith.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
That company is cursed