The Fourth Estate’s investigation has uncovered a shocking conflict of interest among high-ranking members of Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are linked to rampant mining in the country’s forest reserves.
Despite public endorsements of environmental sustainability, prominent figures like Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executive Sam Pyne are involved in gold mining operations in protected areas.
Documents uncovered in the report reveal Pyne’s company, Sam & Gyan Limited, sought a mining lease in the Oda River Forest Reserve just months after advocating for tree planting in a government campaign.
This revelation highlights a broader trend of politicians and their associates exploiting the new Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation (LI 2462), which supposedly restricts such activities but has instead spurred a surge in mining applications.
Key figures, including Chairman Wontumi and Francis Owusu-Akyaw, are linked to multiple mining companies with leases in forest reserves. The investigation raises serious concerns about the influence of political connections on environmental policy and regulatory practices.
The Minerals Commission denies any partisan bias, but the evidence suggests a troubling convergence of politics and mining interests, putting Ghana’s forest reserves at greater risk.
