Akufo-Addo’s Daughters Not Involved In Galamsey

– Lands Ministry Rubbishes NDC MP’s Allegation

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has vehemently debunked allegation that the children of President Akufo-Addo, are deeply involved in illegal mining activity commonly known as galamsey.

According to the Ministry, there is no truth in the allegation peddled on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on Friday, September 27, describing it total “false and misleading”.

The claim was made by Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

A statement issued by the Ministry on Saturday, September 28, said the president’s daughters, are nowhere linked to the named mining firm, Elite Mining Company Limited.

“The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been drawn to certain comments by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleging that the daughters of the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, are either associated with a certain company and/or involved in illegal mining. The said allegations are palpably false and without merit whatsoever”, the ministry said.

Delving into the alleged company, the Ministry, explained that Elite Minerals Company Limited, was incorporated and issued a certificate as far back as July 25, 2008, under the erstwhile former president John Kufuor administration.

This was at a time the current government did not exist to have warranted issuing mining lease of any sort.

Per the documents of incorporation submitted to the Minerals Commission, none of the daughters of the President of the Republic, was named is either a shareholder and/or a director of the Company.

Elite Minerals Company Limited, was handed a Mining Lease in the Kwaebibirem Municipality in 2012, highlighting that, the said lease does not fall in a Forest Reserve, contrary to what was espoused by the lawmaker on Metro television Good Morning programme.

The lease was first granted under the previous John Dramani Mahama government. The then Minister in November 2016 in the dying days of the Mahama administration, granted prior approval to assign it mining lease Elite.

Elite Minerals Company Limited, acquired it lease from another firm, Med Mining Company Limited (“Med Mining”) which was granted mining lease covering an area of 37.49sq.km at Dochi-Takyiman in the Kwaebibirem Municipality (then a District), of the Eastern Region (and not the Kwaebibirem Forest) for a term of ten (10) years to expire on 22nd July, 2022, after opted to assign it lease to the Company.

“Subsequently, Med Mining applied, in accordance with section 14 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), to assign its Mining Lease to Elite Minerals Company Limited.

On November 25, 2016, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, granted a prior approval, pursuant to section 14 of Act 703, for Med Mining to assign its Mining Lease to Elite Minerals Company Limited”.

The Dochi-Takyiman Mining Lease in the Kwaebibirem Municipality of the Eastern Region was, therefore, first granted to Med Mining in 2012 and, subsequently, assigned to Elite Minerals Company Limited in November, 2016.

Prior to the expiration of the Lease, Elite Minerals, applied for a renewal of the Lease, in accordance with section 44 of Act 703, and same was granted on March 22, 2024, for a further term of twelve (12) years to expire on March 21, 2036.

The statement said, “For the avoidance of doubt, Elite Minerals Company Limited’s Mining Lease dated 22nd March, 2024 is a mere renewal of an earlier mining lease dated 23rd July, 2012, and that the Lease does not fall in any Forest Reserve as alleged by Mr Ablakwa”.

Additionally, the Ministry, also reacted to Mr Ablakwa’s claim that between 1988 to 2016, only 96 licenses were issued, insisting such assertion is “totally false”.

It indicated that, Mining Repository does not include licenses and/or leases that has been issued which had expired, including Med Mining’s License which expired and was renewed in 2024. Similarly, the statement said the same false allegation was made by the Fourth Estate which was corrected by the Ministry in its Press Release of 12th September, 2024.

The Ministry also used the opportunity to debunk another falsehood that were peddled by the MP in the media that Elite Minerals is seeking to acquire “exclusive concession of the Volta Region’s salt” and that the company “would have had gold, lithium and salt in the Volta Region,” saying that assertion too is also totally false.

The allegation, the statement said, is borne out of ignorance of the laws governing minerals and mining in the country.

“A “restricted mining lease” is not the same as an “exclusive concession.” By section 111 of the Act 703, a restricted mining lease is “a lease to mine industrial minerals,” such as salt.

Accordingly, any application for a lease to mine salt will be an application for a “restricted mining lease.” But that does not grant any exclusive right to the holder of the mineral right, as alleged by the Hon. Member.

Indeed, it is public knowledge that a number of companies are mining salt in the Volta Region, including Seven Seas Salt Limited, which holds the largest salt concession in the Volta Region, granted in the year 2011 over an area measuring approximately 6,004.48 acres, and whose operations have been the subject-matter of a number of questions in Parliament, where the Hon. Member was present”.

In conclusion, the statement said, in as much as it welcomes the interest of the public in the topical issue of illegal mining, “the Ministry continues to implore the Hon. Member and the general public to be factual in their comments. The Ministry wishes to assure the people of Ghana of its unwavering commitment to the fight against illegal mining, and doing so with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and candour, in the public interest”.

Source: Anchorghana.com