Lands Minister revokes Akonta Mining license in galamsey crackdown; 21 arrested
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has directed the Minerals Commission to revoke the mining lease of Akonta Mining Company with immediate effect, citing illegal operations in the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The company has been under scrutiny for alleged involvement in illegal mining, commonly referred to in Ghana as galamsey.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday (21 April), Minister Buah described Akonta Mining’s activities in the forest as both “illegal and criminal,” insisting that the company had no valid license to mine in the protected reserve.
“I have authorised the Minerals Commission to take immediate steps to revoke the lease of Akonta Mining with immediate effect,” Mr. Buah announced. “I have directed that officials of the Forestry Commission connected to this illegality be immediately interdicted, pending further investigations and prosecution.”
The Minister also confirmed that the Attorney General had assumed control of the case and that security agencies had been notified to investigate all personnel—including security officers—who may have colluded with the company.
“Akonta Mining does not have the license to mine in the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve,” he stressed. “Their activities there are illegal and criminal.”
The move is part of a renewed government effort to combat illegal mining, which has been blamed for widespread environmental degradation, particularly destruction of forest reserves and pollution of river bodies.
Environmental groups and civil society organisations have repeatedly called for tougher sanctions against illegal miners, especially politically connected individuals and companies.
While the mining firm has previously defended his company’s operations, the latest directive marks a significant escalation in the government’s stance on illegal mining in Ghana’s forests.
The Minister concluded by pledging that no one would be shielded from accountability.
