The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has said that Exton Cubic Group Limited is not permitted to undertake any mining prospection activity at the Nyinahini bauxite concession in the Ashanti Region.

“They (Exton Cubic Group Limited) don’t have the operating license that will permit them to be there to undertake any activity. Activities which includes whether prospecting or whatever,” Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu Bio, explained in an interview with Moro Awudu on Class FM’s Executive Breakfast Show on Thursday, August 24.

Clarifying earlier information that Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu, has said that Exton Cubic Group Limited has documents for acquisition of the concession and government approval, Mr Bio argued that “what he (Mr Amewu) said was that as far as he was concerned, they have a mining lease. He never said that they have fulfilled every obligation”.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Kwaku Addae Antwi-Boasiako, in a letter dated August 23 said the mining lease given to the company was dependent on certain conditionalities which have not been met.

Hence “they are directed to stop any attempt of entering the concession to undertake any mining operation”.

Exton Cubic Group Limited has said that they have a permit to do prospecting – which they are currently doing – and not engaged in mining on the concession.

But Mr Bio said prospecting also requires an operation licence which the company has not acquired.

“They are not telling you what it is because even with prospecting you still need an operating licence. Do you know even the small-scale miners in our locality hold operating licences which is renewed annually? Without that you cannot mine or do anything regarding mining. So let’s ask them, do they have that?

“They have not fulfilled the necessary conditions that will allow them to do whatever they intend doing at Nyinahini and based on that they don’t have any right to enter there.

“Exton Cubic was given a mining lease by the erstwhile government and that mining lease has conditions attached to it which they were supposed to fulfill before they go there to do anything. Currently speaking, Exton Cubic does not have a mining operative licence. Secondly, Exton Cubic does not have a valid EPA licence. Thirdly, Exton Cubic has never done any community engagement with the community involved,” he stated.