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Credit: The Africa Report
Tongues are wagging in Ghana after a former minister of science, environment, technology and innovation ruffled feathers with a leaked report. The document indicates that high-profile government officials, presidential staffers, security officials and MPs are involved in illegal mining or are interfering in the fight against the problem.
While illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, supports livelihoods, it has caused severe damage to the environment. It is blamed for the destruction of farmland as well as water pollution and denied the state revenue estimated at $2.3bn in 2016, the lands ministry said.
“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the president’s commitment to protect the environment,†Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the
former minister wrote in the 36-page confidential report to President Nana Akufo-Addo back in 2021.
“I can state without any equivocation that many party officials… had their friends, personal assistants, agents, relatives, financiers or relatives engaged in illegal mining.â€
Undocumented Chinese nationals
Early January this year, The Africa Report said it is widely believed that powerful politicians and chiefs have a hand in illegal small-scale mining. Undocumented Chinese nationals, who import heavy equipment, such as excavators, are also intensifying the environmental impact of artisanal mining in most areas.
“Most of them engaged Chinese working for them,†Frimpong-Boateng, who also headed the government’s agency against illegal mining added in his leaked report.
“I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do. There are appointees in the Jubilee House [the seat of government] that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace,†he said.
Among the top guns who found their names in the explosive report are:
- The president’s powerful cousin Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko: Accused of interfering with the arrest of officials of a mining company – Heritage Imperial – for destroying forest reserves and polluting water bodies.
- Information minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah: Accused of scheming with journalists to sabotage the fight against illegal mining for his personal gain
Others are the chief of staff’s political advisor Frank Asiedu Bekoe alias Protozoa, presidential staffers Laud Commey and Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, a former governing party MP Joseph Albert Quarm, the board chair of the Minerals Commission S.K Boafo, senior government advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo, forestry commission officials Charles Owusu and the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John) and veteran editor Kweku Baako Jnr.
All the above named officials have denied the allegations made against them.
Nothing was heard about the two-year-old report until it was leaked a few weeks ago, despite President Akufo-Addo’s pledge to put his “presidency on the line in the fight against galamseyâ€. Anti-corruption campaigners described the development as worrying.
“How come no one got to know of this report until now,†anti-graft activist Paul Hoffman tells The Africa Report. “The government must show political will in the fight against corruption by taking such reports seriously and act on it.â€
Unfounded and hearsay
In its defence, the Office of the President issued a statement on 22 April saying it cannot act on a report that is unfounded and based on hearsay, adding that the document “can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievancesâ€.
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“It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated. Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay,†the statement of the Office of the President said.
For his part, former president John Mahama said the report has given credence to the opposition’s long-held assertion that bigwigs of the governing NPP are aiding in the destruction of farmlands by operating illegal mines.
According to a Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) research, the West African country – a leading producer of cocoa – has lost 19,000 hectares of cocoa farmland to illegal mining. The research added that the land lost to illegal mining now accounts for 2% of the total cocoa cultivation area in Ghana.
“[…] since [the] NPP came to power, our forests – which were reserves – have been allowed to be indiscriminately degraded by the government,†Mahama told party supporters on his campaign.
He alleged that the fight against illegal mining is being used to intimidate members of the opposition who have licences to operate small-scale mining.
“When NDC was in power, we didn’t discriminate. Anybody who was licensed was allowed to work,†Mahama said. “But when these people took over, they [took] over people’s concessions, seized their excavators and [gave them] to NPP members to work, sidelining the rest of us but everything has an end. There will certainly be a change.â€
Probe
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has said it is probing officials cited in the report after receiving a petition by opposition MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, to investigate the case.
Constitutional lawyer Martin Kpebu has welcomed the development.
A public probe is the best way to go. We have a president who is [fond] of shielding his appointees and that is not right,†Kpebu tells The Africa Report. “I don’t think Akufo-Addo is interested in fighting corruption.â€
Experts say the pollution resulting from mining activities has rendered water bodies unusable. River bodies within the farming areas are so polluted that farmers are unable to use them to irrigate the farm, the COCOBOD report said.
“This is absolutely wrong. Why are we doing this to ourselves and destroying the future of our children?†Ransford Gyampo, a professor of political science of the University of Ghana said. “This is an organised crime that is leading to mass suicide tomorrow because we are destroying nature and a time will come we won’t even have water to drink or a place to farm.â€
Opposition lawmaker Sam George wants the government to empower the security agencies to lead the fight against illegal mining.
“There is only one way to stop the menace. If we don’t take care, a time will come [when] we’ll start importing water to drink. We’re not angry enough in this country. We have to empower the police and the army to deal with this menace,†George said.
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