Minister Armah-Kofi Buah on the government’s battle against galamsey in full text

On Monday, April 21, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, declared that Akonta Mining Company Limited’s mining licenses will all be immediately revoked.

PRESS BRIEFING BY HON. EMMANUEL ARMAH-KOFI BUAH, MINISTER FOR LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES, ON THE GOVERNMENT’S SUSTAINED FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL MINING (GALAMSEY)

Accra, April 21, 2025

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, good afternoon.

As you may remember from our earlier meetings, this administration, led by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, is steadfast in its resolve to end illicit mining, which is a sin against the environment and against God. We committed to providing the good people of Ghana with regular updates, and I’m here today to share important developments in this battle.
We promised the country last month that we would step up our efforts to find the owners and financiers of the large machinery involved in illicit mining. We are happy to report a major victory in this crucial battle today.

Akonta Mining Company Ltd., a business that is legally established and has been given a government lease to mine responsibly off-reserve beyond the forest, is involved in one of the most heinous examples we have seen.

However, the business lacks an authorization to enter the Samreboi enclave’s forest reserve in the Western North Region. But according to investigations, Akonta Mining has blatantly misused this lease.

People connected to Akonta Mining who were intruding into the forest reserves, particularly section 161, were arrested by the Forestry Commission in August 2022 with the help of the Ghana Police. There was no update on the matter despite the docket allegedly being sent to Accra for additional proceedings.

In addition to entering protected areas, this firm has turned into a criminal network that sells illegal miners access to the Aboi Forest Reserve for an astounding GHC 300,000 per concession. Even worse, the River Tano and the nearby woods are being destroyed by these illegal miners, who are protected by Akonta. They have invaded Tano Nimri forest reserve sections 49 and 121.

To learn more about the specifics of this operation, we assembled a group of detectives to go undercover. Our undercover group discovered a well-maintained destructive apparatus:

The connection in these transactions is Mr. Ayisi, a representative of Akonta Mining, who acts as the gatekeeper by negotiating payments and allowing unauthorized access.

After then, the concessions are subleased to people like “Mr. Henry” and “Shark,” who are in charge of overseeing the destruction of the Tano River and the Aboi Forest Reserve.

Weekly royalties of 250 grams of gold are to be paid to Akonta Mining as part of the agreement between the illegal miners and the company, enriching Akonta’s partners.

This illegal operation grows due to the active collaboration and connivance of certain security personnel and forestry officers, which is another devastating discovery. This is how it operates: Investigators found that Akonta Mining receives a share of the GHC 300,000 charge, Mr. Henry, Shark, and their associates receive a portion, and the forestry and security authorities receive a portion. In return for protection and tip-offs in the case of an upcoming raid, these cops accept a portion as a service fee.

The actions of these unauthorized miners are completely uncontrollable. Knowing that they are acting under the auspices of Akonta Mining Company Ltd.’s lease, they continue to demolish without consequence.

According to several conversations with locals, Akonta Mining’s strategy include using force to infiltrate and destroy even the farmlands and product of the area’s impoverished farmers.

Armed with this information, the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission conducted an intelligence-led operation on the eve of Good Friday, April 17, 2025, which resulted in the raid of six illicit mining sites connected to Akonta Mining.

After a massive 12-hour operation that started at 5 a.m. in Compartment 49, the following outcomes were obtained:

1. 51 arrests (four Ghanaian women, 39 Ghanaian men, and 8 Chinese)

2. Approximately thirty excavators were seized; five were found and seized at the operating base.
3. One single-barrel pistol was recovered, and two pump-action weapons were loaded with five and two rounds of BB cartridges apiece.
4. The seizure of four motorcycles, two Toyota Hilux vehicles, one Toyota RAV4, and a mining equipment cache

All accused have been taken to Accra and are being held for trial. I have given the Minerals Commission permission to take action to immediately terminate Akonta Mining Co. Ltd.’s lease in view of the overwhelming evidence.

All of the defendants have been transported to Accra and are awaiting trial. In light of the overwhelming evidence, I have authorized the Minerals Commission to take action and promptly cancel the lease of Akonta Mining Co. Ltd.
Since then, the Attorney General has also been briefed and has assumed responsibility for the investigations in order to go forward.

Akonta Mining’s mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve are unlawful and criminal, because they do not possess a lease to do so. Furthermore, the Mahama administration would do all it takes to hold the business accountable.

This serves as a message to all large-scale mining concession holders who are using legitimate leases as a cover to finance the devastation of our rivers and forests. We are pursuing you because we are aware of some of your plans!

There is a better way, I tell the young people who are mining illegally. We are prepared to help you by offering better options. However, the state will not show pity to those who continue to behave in disobedience!

To Ghanaians and the media: You must be extremely vigilant. Report illicit mining operations and have faith in this government’s response.

To be clear, we won’t give up until Galamsey is totally destroyed.

Our efforts will continue until our woods are green and our waterways are blue.

Until our nation’s soul is restored, we won’t give up!

We won’t stop until the full force of the law is used to all of the financiers and enablers who are the true masterminds behind this devastation.

They will be publicly named, humiliated, and prosecuted.

Thank you. I’ll accept your questions immediately.

With an initial,

Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, Emmanuel

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