The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), has reacted to the revocation of the mining licence of his company, Akonta Mining, by the government.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, the NPP regional chairman refuted the government’s claim that his company was engaged in illegal mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
He indicated that the allegations by the government are mere propaganda being pushed by elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in an attempt to disgrace him, just as was done in 2020.
Wontumi stated that his company has not been operating for years since the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government suspended its licence in 2023, adding that the mere fact that security operatives caught illegal miners on a section of forest reserve land leased to Akonta Mining does not mean the company is engaging in any form of illegality.
“Akonta Mining has a legitimate licence, like all the major international large-scale mining companies. We have a lease to mine in the forest, and part of it was devastated by illegal miners. That is the area we are reclaiming.
“The fact that you go and arrest illegal miners on our land does not mean they are working for us. This is not true. We do not agree with that at all. Recently, some illegal miners went to the reserves of AngloGold to mine. Are you going to say that they were working for AngloGold? No. Even in that case, people died,” he said in the Twi dialect.
He added, “Is Honourable Armah Kofi-Buah saying that because of this, he is going to revoke the licence of AngloGold or other companies whose lands have been taken over by galamsey operators?”
He said his company has no control over who enters the forest reserve, as that responsibility lies with the Forestry Commission of Ghana.
Chairman Wontumi also accused the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, of bringing the mining equipment of illegal miners to Akonta Mining’s compound to make it appear as though the company was engaging in illegal activities.
“He (the minister) had the security officers transport the excavators and other mining equipment belonging to some people and move them to our yard. We had only two bulldozers and excavators, which were being used for the reclamation of the land. None of our machines were there,” he claimed.
He added that the government has revived the allegations against him just to divert public attention from the current challenges in the country and scandals within the government.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, during a press briefing on April 21, 2025, directed the Minerals Commission to revoke the mining licence of Akonta Mining Ltd over illegal operations.
According to him, a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the discovery of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining.
The minister said that the operation in Compartment 49, which began at 5 AM and lasted a full 12 hours, resulted in:
• 51 arrests (8 Chinese nationals, 39 Ghanaian men, and 4 Ghanaian women)
• Seizure of about 30 excavators, 5 of which were recovered and impounded at the operation base
• Two pump-action guns loaded with 5 and 2 rounds of BB cartridges, respectively
• One single-barrel gun retrieved
• Confiscation of 2 Toyota Hilux pickups, 1 Toyota RAV4, 4 motorbikes, and a cache of mining equipment
BAI/MA
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