Youth from the Biung community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region staged a demonstration on Saturday, April 18, against Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited, blocking road access to the area and calling on the Chinese-owned gold mining company to address what they described as long-standing neglect of the communities directly affected by its operations.
The protesters, who disrupted vehicle movement in and out of the community, raised four core concerns: the absence of boreholes forcing residents to rely on water they describe as contaminated, the limited employment of local youth by the mining company, inadequate community lighting, and the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals from the mine’s operations.
Biung is among two communities resettled by Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited to make way for large-scale open-cast gold mining in the Talensi District. The company, a subsidiary of China’s Shandong Gold, began pouring its first gold in late 2024 after years of construction. At the time of the resettlement, the company publicly committed to providing the communities with water supply, electricity, healthcare facilities, and livelihood support.
The April 18 demonstration is the latest in a pattern of community protests directed at Cardinal Namdini across the Talensi District. In August 2025, residents of Sheaga and other affected communities staged a separate major demonstration, presenting a petition that accused the company of environmental degradation, inadequate compensation, and the exclusion of local youth from employment. The company at the time said it was committed to the development of the Talensi District and that its corporate social investment would deepen as production revenues grew.
The Biung youth are demanding that those commitments be made concrete without further delay. Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited had not publicly responded to Saturday’s action at the time of this report.
