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Companies owned by Wontumi, Kumasi mayor & others scramble to mine in Ghana’s forest reserves

An investigation by The Fourth Estate into a worrying scramble for mining concessions in forest reserves has revealed the owners of such companies to be the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Sam Pyne, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, who is popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and many others linked to the NPP and the government.

Records at the Minerals Commission show that the company, Sam & Gyan Limited, applied for the mining license in February 2023, months after the government enacted the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation in November 2022. Known as LI 2462, the law lists some designated green belts as protected areas, including Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), which are safeguarded by international conventions. This should make them a no-go area for mining and timber harvesting.

Months before the government scrapped the guidelines that limited mining in forest reserves in November 2022, Akonta Mining Company Limited was actively felling trees and digging in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources declared the company’s operation illegal. The Office of the Special Prosecutor is currently investigating allegations of illegal mining against the company.

Sept. 5, 2024

References:

• https://thefourthestategh.com/2024/09/forest-invasion-companies-of-wontumi-kumasi-mayor-npp-juaben-parliamentary-candidate-others-scramble-for-mining-in-ghanas-forest-reserves/
• https://thefourthestategh.com/2024/09/forest-invasion-minerals-commission-deletes-critical-information-about-mining-companies-after-the-fourth-estate-revelations/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZ8XozoZhI
• https://www.myjoyonline.com/forest-invasion-land-ministers-half-truth-to-parliament-the-contradictions-fueling-mining-in-ghanas-forest-reserves/