The Minerals Commission has confirmed it has gathered solid evidence proving that Akonta Mining Limited engaged in illegal mining activities, widely known as galamsey, within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, despite the companyโs repeated public denials.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, April 22, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Isaac Andrew Tandoh, disclosed that the Commissionโs findings are based on verified intelligence, including geolocation data and video evidence directly linking Akonta Mining to operations within protected forest zones.
โFor the intelligence we have now, the conditions and the videos we have now are more than enough to go after the perpetrators. The AG has been advised to pick up these conversations and make sure that the powers that are behind these perpetrators are brought to book,โ he said.
Tandohโs remarks follow a strong denial from Akonta Mining, which insists it has never conducted unlawful operations within any forest reserve and claims its activities comply with all regulatory requirements.
But Tandoh dismissed the companyโs response, describing it as a mere public relations tactic that wonโt deter enforcement efforts.
โPeople can write letters and issue rebuttals in the newspapers; that is not something I will bother my head with, that will trouble me. This is just the beginning. Weโll allow the Attorney General to take over and ensure that the masterminds behind these illicit operations are dealt with in a way that deters others,โ he stated.
The Commissionโs position aligns with that of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, which, on Monday, April 21, 2025, announced the revocation of Akonta Miningโs lease.
According to Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the company illegally extended its activities into the Aboi and Tano Nimiri Forest Reserves in the Western North Region, despite only holding licenses for operations in off-reserve areas.
The ongoing probe forms part of the governmentโs intensified efforts to clamp down on illegal mining and protect Ghanaโs forest reserves.
Source | Citinewsroom
