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LEG trains volunteers on environmental laws
Participants
Aware of the need to promote environmental justice and community rights in mining communities in the country, the Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG) has organised a two-day training programme for its Voluntary Community Facilitators (VCFs).
The VCFs, who were selected from the major mining-affected communities in the country (seven mining regions), were taken through ethical reporting and Ghana’s minerals and mining laws to enable them to be abreast of issues on community rights, including the right to safe and clean water, sanitation, compensation, and resettlement issues, as well as afforestation and restoration projects, which are core focus areas of LEG.
The VCFs would serve as intermediaries between their communities and the LEG to ensure an environment free from all forms of pollution to enhance sustainable development, community livelihoods, transparent mineral governance, and environmental sustainability.
The training, which was organised by LEG in collaboration with the Third World Network Africa (TWN-Africa), was sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Power of Voices Project (PVP) and Fair4ALL Programme.
The Executive Director (ED) of LEG, Mr. Richard Adjei-Poku, pointed out in a presentation that “our main goal is to promote environmental sustainability, community rights, sustainable livelihoods, and mineral governance.”
He noted that the NGO had trained many people in the mining communities in Ghana on transparency and accountability to enable them to hold their leaders and the companies operating in their respective communities accountable and responsible.
Mr. Adjei-Poku told the participants to take the training seriously to be in a better position to gather accurate information on issues pertaining to environmental threats and human rights violations in the mining communities.
Mr. Kingsley E. Hope, Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association in the Ashanti Region also explained the importance of ethical reporting to the participants, saying it was a process of transparency.
“Fundamental to proper, professional, and ethical conduct is the intent to be honest, accurate, and complete when providing required information,” he said.
Some of the participants said the training had given them more insights into how to gather and disseminate accurate information on mining laws.
LEG, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was established in 2004 in Ahafo Kenyasi Number 2 to respond to the growing social, environmental, and human rights threats from the Newmont Ahafo Mine, which now operates in seven regions, namely, the Bono, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western, Ashanti, and Western North regions.
It promotes environmental justice, community rights, sustainable livelihoods, and mineral governance, particularly in the extractive and forest sectors
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has denied claims circulating on social media that the sector minister, Samuel Nartey George, has misused public funds.
In a statement issued to media houses, the Ministry explained that the document being shared online was part of an official request seeking Commitment Authorisation from the Ministry of Finance in line with public financial management and procurement procedures.
According to the Ministry, the request was based on budgetary allocations approved by Parliament for the 2026 fiscal year and covered planned projects, operational activities and programme interventions to be carried out within the year.
It stressed that the request has not yet received approval from the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry therefore clarified that no funds have been released, disbursed or spent in relation to the items captured in the circulating document.
It described claims suggesting that public funds had already been squandered as “inaccurate, misleading and devoid of context.”
The statement urged the public to treat the allegations with caution and disregard what it described as false interpretations of the document.
The Ministry further reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and strict adherence to public financial management regulations in the execution of its duties.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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