Akonta Mining: Government destroys Wontumi's Site Structures and Equipment In Tano Forest

• The Akufo-Addo-led government has destroyed site structures and equipment belonging to Akonta Mining Company Limited
• The demolition exercise took place at the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region
• Akonta Mining which belongs to Chairman Wontumi was earlier ordered to halt its illegal small-scale mining activities in the Tano Forest

Site structures and equipment belonging to Akonta Mining Company Limited have been burnt and destroyed.

According to a report on myjoyonline, the destruction of the properties was carried out on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, after a tour of the forest by a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio.

The mining company belonging to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was said to be engaging in illegal mining activities in the Tano Forest.

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However, some heavy equipment belonging to the company was evacuated from the site before the destruction exercise took place.

Pictures released by the online portal showed several structures made of wood and roofing sheets being torched alongside some of the equipment used for the illegal mining operations.

The company insists it has the necessary documentation and is engaged in regular mining, not illegal small-scale mining, which is galamsey as being bandied in some quarters.

Halt Your Illegal Mining Activities In Tano Forest Reserve - Lands Ministry To Wontumi

But a press statement from the Lands and Natural Resources last month ordered a halt of the activities of the company.

In the statement, the Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, disclosed that the mining company has a licence to undertake operations in some parts of Samreboi and not from the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality in the Western Region.

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Government Intensifies War Against Illegal Mining Menace

The war against illegal mining has intensified in recent times following revelations of the extent of destruction to the environment and the country’s water bodies.

Some well-meaning Ghanaians have also called on the government to desist from shielding high-ranking party officials like Chairman Wontumi and prosecute them to deter others.

Galamsey Menace: Special Prosecutor Investigates Charles Bissue, Chairman Wontumi, Other Key Institutions

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the woes of the Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, and Chairman Wontumi, are deepening by the day after the Office of the Special Prosecutor began investigations into galamsey corruption.

The duo and other key state institutions are the focus of the latest probe by the OSP.

Source: YEN.com.gh