Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has dismissed claims that comments by President Nana Akuffo Addo, defending the Akonta Mining Company Limited will affect the investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

President Akuffo Addo yesterday January 4, defended the Akonta Mining Firm at the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association in Koforidua, claiming that the company has not engaged in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey. “I want to assure you all that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak,” the President disclosed.

Akonta Mining, owned by Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been in the news for allegedly mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region without recourse to the law.

The Minerals Commission in October 2022 issued a statement to restrain Akonta Mining from prospecting for gold in the reserve for lack of license.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor in a report on Tuesday January 2, revealed that investigations were ongoing into the activities of the mining company.

Speaking in the President’s defence, Hon Jinapor stated that the President was only talking about current happenings and not the previous activities of the company.

“He wasn’t speaking about the investigation, and he was not speaking about activities of Akonta Mining in the past. If the President had said that Akonta Mining had not engaged in illegal mining in the past then you could say the President is making prejudicial statements.
Abu Jinapor

According to the minister, the President was speaking with regards to the state of affairs today and noted that “As it relates to the forest reserves and as it relates to whether or not Akonta mining is involved in illegal mining, he was only giving the assurance that they are not.”

President’s Defense Of Akonta Mining Firm Unfortunate

Meanwhile, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, has expressed reservations about the president’s defence of Akonta Mine over the firm’s alleged engagements in illegal mining activities.

Dr Ashigbey noted that Akonta Mining’s alleged illegal mining is not up for contention.

“Some media works had been done and some reportage in the media revealed the clashes between workers of Akonta Mining and residents of the Samreboi community where the residents prevented the miners from mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

“Also the Minerals Commission which is the independent regulatory body responsible for issuing licenses also said that Akonta Mining is engaged in illegal activities and so it is worrying the President is saying Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining as we speak.”
Ashigbey

According to him, President Akuffo Addo may be right when he noted that Akonta Mining is not engaged in illegal mining activities and further stated that it may be because Akonta Mining has left the forest reserve. He said “the question we must be asking is, was the firm not in the forest sometime last year?”

Dr Ashigbey however indicated that it may be too early to play down the words of the president and that he will wait on the president to come out with contrary evidence to what he is currently speaking about.

“I will also give the President the benefit of the doubt that he, being the Commander-in-Chief, may have some evidence that we don’t know about because we also have evidence to the contrary that the firm was in the forest reserve mining illegally sometime last year.”
Ken Ashigbey