The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has exonerated Akonta Mining, the firm owned by NPP politician Chairman Wontumi, from any allegations of being involved in galamsey.
The President, speaking at the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association in Koforidua, stressed that the firm has not been involved in any wrongdoing.
“I want to assure you all that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak,” he said.
The President’s assurances comes after the Lands Ministry previously directed the Forestry Commission to ensure that the company did not carry out any operation in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve and to take the necessary action against any person found culpable in the matter.
Akonta Mining had been in the news for mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region without recourse to the law.
In response, the Lands Ministry pronounced all activities being undertaken by the company in the Forest Reserve as illegal.
However, government said, while the mining company has a lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve.
The issue of the Akonta mining’s ‘galamsey’ activities is presently before the Special Prosecutor for investigation.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com