Galamsey: Ghana Government Revokes Mining Concession Issued To NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining, Over Years of Illegal Forest Operations

The Government of Ghana has taken decisive action against Akonta Mining Company Ltd., owned by Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has directed the Minerals Commission to immediately revoke the company’s mining lease following evidence of unauthorised operations within the protected Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. The announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday, 21 April, in Accra.

According to the Minister, Akonta Mining was found to be leasing portions of the Aboi Forest Reserve to illegal miners for GHC 300,000 per concession. The company was also reportedly receiving weekly payments in gold – up to 250 grammes – from these miners, while the mining activities caused significant damage to the River Tano and surrounding ecosystems.

This company has not only trespassed into protected reserves but has become a criminal syndicate, selling access of the Aboi Forest Reserve to illegal miners for a staggering GHC 300,000 per concession”, Buah said.

The Minister emphasised that Akonta Mining had no legal permit to operate within the forest reserve and described the company’s actions as criminal. In 2022, arrests were made involving persons associated with Akonta Mining, but the case went quiet after it was transferred to Accra.

In addition to revoking the lease, the Minister has instructed the Forestry Commission to suspend its staff found to be complicit in the illegal activities, pending further investigation. Security officials linked to the operations are also under scrutiny. The Attorney-General has been briefed and has taken over the case.

Meanwhile, a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission on 17 April raided six illegal mining sites connected to Akonta Mining. The 12-hour operation resulted in the arrest of 51 individuals, including eight Chinese nationals, and the seizure of 30 excavators, firearms, and various vehicles and equipment.

Investigative journalist David Hundeyin, in his book Breaking Point, detailed how Akonta Mining’s owner, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, enjoyed political protection during the Akufo-Addo administration despite being repeatedly implicated in illegal mining activities.

Chairman Wontumi and his company Akonta Mining Limited have been repeatedly accused of being major perpetrators and enablers of Galamsey illegal small scale, artisanal mining which has become a huge political issue in Ghana due to its destructive effects on the environment and its encroachment on nature reserves”, Hundeyin wrote.

He recounted that the Media Coalition Against Galamsey (MCAG) called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Chairman Wontumi and his associate Kwame Antwi. However, Wontumi remained untouchable during the previous tenure.

Buah has now warned that the current administration will not hesitate to name, shame, and prosecute anyone involved in illegal mining, regardless of status.

We will not stop until our waters run clear, our forests are restored, and every individual behind these destructive acts is held accountable,” he stated.

About The Author

Confidence Ubani

author

See author's posts