A screenshot from the video
The government has shared a video of supposed illegal mining activities of Akonta Mining Limited, a mining company owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
This video was what led to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, weeping at a press conference on Monday, April 22, 2025.
The minister said that anytime he watches the video, he is shocked at the extent of damage a Ghanaian would do to Ghana’s forest just in the name of making money.
The said video showed vast portions of the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region completely destroyed.
Huge trenches, some filled with muddy water, could be seen all over the forest.
The video also showed excavators at work, pulling down trees and digging more trenches in the forest.
Scores of people could also be seen working in the forest. Some could be seen processing mineral ore, while others were working in a very large trench.
The video also showed how the illegal mining activities in the forest were polluting the Tano River, which is the source of water for communities near the river.
Watch the video below:
The day of reckoning for Chairman Wontumi and his ilk has come. @JDMahama means business. Together with well-meaning Ghanaians, we shall win the fight against illegal mining and preserve our environment. pic.twitter.com/VXXa9pskVy
— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi_) April 21, 2025
BAI/AE
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