Prof Frimpong Boateng names top government officials engaged in ‘galamsey’

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Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has named some top government officials as being engaged in the illegal mining canker, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

The renowned professor who served under President Akufo-Addo during his first term insisted that the rot goes as high as the government seat, Jubilee House.

In a 36-page document written by Prof. Boateng addressed to the president, the Chief of Staff, and the police the renowned surgeon mentioned some individuals he claims frustrated his effort and the committee he chaired from addressing the canker.

“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the President’s commitment to protecting the environment.

“I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them.

“I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do.

“There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace,” excerpts of the document said.

In the same report, Professor Frimpong also accused a former NPP MP in the Ashanti Region of selling illegally acquired concessions at GH¢200,000 each.

According to him, this “infuriated the party in the constituency so during the 2020 primaries to select a candidate the electorate voted against the NPP MP, the then sitting MP, who was more resourced than other candidates.

In an interview with state broadcaster GBC, the former Minister said these individuals supervised his ousting from the Ministry in order to continue perpetuating the canker.

According to him, the allegations of some 500 missing excavators from illegal miners in 2020 were all fabrications of persons in the government to get him out of the way.

On the back of this, President Akufo-Addo has asked the Ghana Police Service to investigate allegations made by the former minister. 

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