Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (alias Chairman Wontumi) has called on Ghanaians to disregard the damning report on illegal small-scale mining authored by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

According to the politician, the real motivation behind the report which indicted some members of the NPP and the ruling government of being complicit in illegal small scale mining activities is hunger.

“You can see that because Frimpong-Boateng did not get an appointment he has collaborated with Tony Aubyn who is a former minerals commission boss to bring out the said report. I see it as palpable lies which Ghanaians should not buy into. It’s all lies because you had a responsibility as minister of environment and chairman of the commission [Inter Ministerial Commission on Small Scale Mining]…

"This is politics that they are engaging in. I believe Frimpong-Boateng is hungry which is why he is doing what he is doing that. He is very hungry; he is hungry and angry so Ghanaians should not buy this,” Wontumi stated on Neat FM during an interview on Wednesday, April, 26, 2023.

A report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng submitted to the president through his Chief of Staff in March 2021 was recently published in the media.

The report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng which details the work of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), cited the challenges the committee faced, as well as persons he believes contributed to the frustration of his work in fighting galamsey.



The 36-page report implicated some New Patriotic Party (NPP) members, including MPs and top government officials, as having been involved in the galamsey menace. Portions of the report indicated that these MPs and government officials were either directly involved in galamsey or were using their power to protect relations who were involved in the menace.

But reacting to the report, Wontumi maintained that the former minister who is peeved for not being appointed into government again, has rather gone in bed with the opposition National Democratic Congress to push a false narrative.




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GA/SARA