The Director of Communications for the 2024 Bawumia Campaign Team Dennis Miracles Aboagye has fired shots at the Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah after he cried during a press conference over the devastation caused by Akonta Mining in Ghana’s forest reserve.
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah shed tears after watching a documentary showcasing the destruction of lands and water bodies in the Western Region.
The Lands minister was visibly shaken by the extent of environmental destruction caused by Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
During his press conference, he paused for a moment and could not control his emotions when he shed tears.
However, Dennis Miracles Aboagye asserted that Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah is telling Ghanaians with his cry that the galamsey fight is a hopeless situation.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV, he stated, “Whoever directed the minister to cry did him a disservice. We didn’t vote for you to go and cry”.
This is a man that stood in parliament and told the then president in his face that ‘his tenure in office will remain a timely reminder of how not to govern a country’”, he added.
“He is the man who said that they had the solution to dealing with this galamsey. In fact, the cabinet minister, Sam George, the communications minister said that if Nana Akufo-Addo was serious, he would end galamsey in one week.
“So, if you are in power and you are given the mandate to stop it and you come and cry, what do we do? It creates a hopeless situation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has revealed he has authorized the Minerals Commission to take steps to revoke the lease of Akonta Mining Co. Ltd with immediate effect.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi of the NPP is known to be the owner of Akonta Mining Company Limited which is said to have been operating illegally in the Nimri Tano Forest reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.
According to the former Akufo-Addo government, the mining company has a lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi but stated the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve.
Former President Akufo-Addo has also come out to defend the owner of Akonta Mining, he claims Chairman Wontumi is not involved in galamsey.
The Lands Minister in a press conference stated, “Some interviews conducted with a few residents indicate that the modus operandi of Akonta Mining is to use force to enter and destroy even the farmlands and produce of poor farmers in the area.
“Armed with this intel, on the eve of Good Friday (17th April 2025) an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the raid of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining”.
He added, “ Armed with this intel, on the eve of Good Friday (17th April 2025) an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the raid of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining.
The operation in Compartment 49, which began at 5 a.m. and lasted a whopping 12 hours, resulted in:
* 51 arrests (8 Chinese, 39 Ghanaian men, 4 Ghanaian women)
* Seizure of about 30 excavators, 5 recovered and impounded at the operation base
* 2 Pump-action guns loaded with 5 and 2 rounds of BB cartridges each, 1 single-barrel gun retrieved
* Confiscation of 2 Toyota Hilux pickups, 1 Toyota RAV4, 4 motorbikes, and a cache of mining equipment
In light of the overwhelming evidence, I have authorized the Minerals Commission to take steps to revoke the lease of Akonta Mining Co. Ltd with immediate effect.
I have directed that forestry officials connected to these illegalities be immediately interdicted pending further investigations and prosecution. The security agencies have been notified to investigate security officers who have had dealings with Akonta Mining in this particular Forest Reserve”.
Meanwhile, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako commonly known as Chairman Wontumi and owner of Akonta Mining Limited has responded to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah revoking his mining license.
According to Chairman Wontumi, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah cannot use allegations to revoke his license.
