His name is Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, he is the current Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), a farmer, owner of Wontumi Radio and Television stations and Akonta Mining Limited, a small-scale mining company in the Ashanti Region. As the meaning of his akan nickname connotes in the English Language, “You can’t Fit me”, Chairman Wontumi, is a strong and powerful personality within the NPP circles who does not fear any persons, including people in the corridors of power whatsoever.  He claims to be one of the millionaires in Ghana in recent times, and at one time, expressed interest to buy the famous Chelsea Football Club in London, United Kingdom.

When you talk about prominent personalities involved in small-scale mining popularly known as galamsey in this country, Ghana, you cannot leave out this ‘powerful’ man who is into serious small-scale mining business in parts of the Ashanti and Western regions.

AKONTA MINING LIMITED

Records show that, his company on 20th August 2022 applied for a Mining Lease to undertake mining in some parts of Samreboi in the Western Region, outside the Forest Reserve, but the company has extended its operations to the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region.  By a Ministerial Directive, all reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploratory activities in Forest Reserves in the country are suspended, except in exceptional circumstances. Although this directive does not affect mining in Forest Reserves, further records indicate that Akonta Mining Limited’s application has not been determined, hence any alleged activity being undertaken by the company in the Forest Reserve is considered illegal.

GUN SHOTS AT FOREST RESERVE

In recent times, there were reports circulating on social media and other traditional news outlet about exchange of gunshots between personnel of Akonta Mining Limited and some youth of Samreboi, leading to two persons sustaining gunshot wounds.  Per the cause of that incident, a section of the youth reportedly prevented personnel of the company from taking more mining equipment into the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

The company, it was reported, was said to have been mining in the reserve despite a declaration by government (Minerals Commission) that it had not granted any entry permit into the forest reserve.  According to reports, two of the vehicles transporting mining equipment were also burnt by the youth while some vehicles belonging to a timber firm, Samartex, had their windscreens smashed.

WONTUMI’S EXPLANATION

The owner and regional chairman of the NPP, Antwi Boasiako, has denied using the site for illegal mining.  According to him his outfit has a genuine documents and licence from the Minerals Commission which would expire in the year 2030, claiming that his company was rather reclaiming the site which was overtaken by some illegal miners after digging pits on the site.

When you weigh the Land and Natural Resources Minister’s (Samuel Abdulai Jinapor) statement in which he made it clear that the company was operating illegally in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve against Chairman Wontumi’s defence, then you can simply ask yourself, who is telling the truth? And what is the Forestry Commission saying? That, the Akonta Mining Limited, indeed, has a pending application dated August 25, 2022, for a Mining Lease over an area within the Tano Nimiri Reserve? Does that grant the company permission to enter into the reserve to mine?

FREEING GALAMSEY FIGHT OF POLITICS

This fight against this illegal small-scale mining in this country, can only make the necessary progress and meaningful impact, if we shed party colours and dealt ruthlessly with people involved in the activity no matter their status in the ruling party and the party in power.  If we try to impute politics into steps being taken to stop this menace, we will get nowhere in our determination to stop the practice.  It is because we, ourselves, are not ready to deal with the problem, that is the more reason foreigners, especially Chinese, have taken an advantage of the system to engage massively in this illegal galamsey business and subsequently, destroying our environment and the ecosystem.

Some of our traditional leaders as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in areas where these illegal operations are taking place in their forest reserves, have sold their conscience for peanuts to the people including foreigners in the trade, forgetting that they are rather helping them to destroy their water bodies and the ecosystem.

LEVEL OF POLLUTION OF WATER BODIES

It is sickening when you look at the massive destructions that had taken place in most of these areas where these small scale illegal mining are taking place.  Party officials and other irresponsible personalities in the corridors of power who are deeply involved in these shameful business must bow their heads in shame.

Are we really happy with the level of contamination and pollution of our water bodies and rivers as well as the forest cover by these galamseyers, spearheaded mostly by Chinese nationals and other high profile Ghanaians?  Can we imagine the colour of water from our various water bodies? Are we happy to see our cocoa farms under siege?  We need to be ashamed of ourselves for encouraging pollution and contamination of our water sources as well as the massive destruction of our forests.

ASANTEHENE SPEAKS OUT

No wonder, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, recently, questioned the relevance of our District and Municipal Security Councils over their failure to fight the illegal mining menace in the country. He was surprised that after years that the government launched the fight against this galamsey business, little had been achieved describing the situation as very poor.  Hear him, “At the district level, we have the political administration, District Chief Executives and District Security Councils.  Are they all saying that they are unaware of the activities of these galamsayers? If they are unable to detect and stop the operation of these galamsayers, then they are unworthy to be there; it is as simple as that”.

“We should have brought finality to this issue by now.  The President, had even put his presidency on the line, yet this is going on.  To me, something is wrong somewhere,” he told the US Ambassador, Stephanie Sullivan, when she called on him recently at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

FIGHT AGAINST GALAMSEY

It is sad that we should continue to talk about some of these negative issues again when we have flogged them over and over.  While we continue to preserve the little human and material resources at our disposal due to our present economic difficulties and challenges, we have in recent past invested heavily in the formation of various ministerial taskforces to combat this small scale illegal mining in parts of the country.  It is, indeed, sad and regretful that despite all these huge financial investments, the problem continues unabated and even in its worse form.

I have had the privilege to visit China for at least four times, during which I toured most of the provinces including the famous and popular Shanghai, and I can confidently say that they are taking good and proper care of their country and obeying their laws as well as the rules and regulations well.  China started from the scratch like us and that country has gone far and can be referred to as a developed nation.  Why are we doing disservice to ourselves by allowing Chinese nationals to enter into our country, plunder and destroy our natural resources, while they protect and conserve theirs?  We have given them all the courtesies to live in our country yet they don’t respect our laws but rather treat us with contempt and disdain.

OUR LEADERS LACK THE WILL POWER

It is, indeed, surprising that our leaders often travel to some of these developed countries and are fully aware of the socio-economic development in those countries and upon returning home, they close their eyes to these developments they saw, and allow our country to go down the drain.  Yes, we depend on some of these countries for loans and grants to revamp and reshape our economy, but we cannot continue to be stooges to them by allowing their nationals to misbehave when they enter into our territory.

As the Asantehene rightly put it: If those leaders appointed at the local level; Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, are unable to stand up against these illegal mining in their jurisdictions, then they have no business to be there at all. Let us keep politics out of this fight against galamsey and deal resolutely with offenders of the law irrespective of party affiliations.  We want to see more action from our President, the number one gentleman of the land in this fight against the galamsey menace.

Contact email/WhatsApp of author:

ataani2000@yahoo.com 0277753946/0248933366

By Charles Neequaye