Former Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has confirmed that Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been transferred to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison. This is to begin serving his 20-year prison sentence following his conviction over illegal mining activities. Speaking […]
A stark warning on personal safety has emerged from a paralegal training workshop in Kumasi, Ashanti Region as twenty-eight (28) community representatives were cautioned that gathering evidence at illegal mining site, including openly taking photographs, could expose them to serious risk. The three-day workshop, held from 15th to 17th June, 2026, at Camp Martin Hotel, […]
Ghana, with support from the United Kingdom government, has commissioned and handed over 10 forest protection camps and two checkpoint accommodation facilities at the Oda River Forest Reserve to strengthen the fight against illegal mining, logging, and other threats to the country’s forests. In a speech read on behalf of the Minister for Lands and […]
The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has granted Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, an additional opportunity to file his witness statements in the alleged Samreboi illegal mining case, should he choose to do so. The presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocouvi-Tey, gave […]
An Accra High Court has dismissed a no-case submission filed by Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi. The court subsequently ordered the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman to open his defence in an alleged illegal mining case. Justice Audrey Kokuvie Tay ruled on Monday that the prosecution had successfully established a […]
Illegal small-scale gold mining, commonly referred to as galamsey in Ghana, has emerged as a pressing issue that undermines the country’s environment, economy and social fabric. Once regarded as a survival strategy for rural youth, galamsey has transformed into a vast, militarised enterprise deeply intertwined with political power. This has led to dire consequences, including […]
Environmental journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor, has made allegations regarding the military’s involvement in shielding an illegal mining operation deep within the Anwiaso East Forest Reserve in the Western North region. Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews on Wednesday, 19 June, Mr Donkor disclosed that the investigative team has been monitoring the illegal operation for months, […]
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has directed the immediate revocation of all mining licenses held by Akonta Mining Company Limited. This follows serious allegations of illegal mining activities (galamsey) and regulatory breaches by the mining company. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, April 21, the Minister disclosed that […]
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have commenced a series of targeted anti-galamsey operations across all three Commands in a renewed effort to clamp down on illegal mining activities in protected areas. These “surgical” operations, aimed at minimising collateral damage while dealing effectively with the menace, form part of a broader national strategy to preserve the […]
Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent member of Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party, has criticized former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, over allegations made against him in a report from March 2021. Otchere-Darko was accused of interfering with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in the […]
The Minerals Commission is to install tracking devices on 4,000 excavators and earthmoving equipment as part of measures to clamp down on illegal mining activities. Currently, 75 excavators have been affixed with tracking devices and their activities being monitored from a control room at the commission. The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu […]
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the government to prosecute all persons involved in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, irrespective of their political affiliation. The party claimed it had enough evidence to prove that some politicians were ‘ neck deep’ in the illicit activity. Addressing a press conference held in Accra yesterday, […]
