President Akufo-Addo
By Hillary Obayagbon, Accra
Allegations made by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in a report on illegal small-scale mining in Ghana, have been dismissed by the Office of the President.
The Presidency in a statement stated that the claims in the report were unfounded and amounted to hearsay.
The report, which was submitted in an informal way, was handed over to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President in March 2021.
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It mentioned dozens of individuals in the Akufo-Addo government who were accused of being involved in illegal mining or interfering in the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.
However, the Presidency argued that despite the serious allegations, no evidence was presented to support them.
The Office of the President reiterated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s commitment to fighting illegal mining and welcomed any credible information on the matter.
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The attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to a publication in the media ostensibly quoting from a document authored by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, which, allegedly, imputes wrongdoing on the part of some government appointees in the fight against Galamsey.
At the outset, it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.
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The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19th 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM.
This was after Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s tenure as Minister had not been renewed by the President of the Republic in his second term. The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action. It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither.
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It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated.
Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March, 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document.
The President’s commitment to fighting illegal mining is unassailable, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on illegal mining activities which provides a credible basis for investigations to be conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
We continue to count on the co-operation of the general public.
