Machomen now guard illegal miners; our chiefs are helpless – Prestea-Huni Valley MP

The MP for Prestea-Huni-Valley in the Western Region, Robert Cudjoe, has said that the government plans to clamp down on some persons who have invaded some forest reserves and engaging in illegal mining in his constituency.

According to him, the manner in which the forests and rivers are being destroyed is alarming.

For instance, he observed that the indiscriminate ploughing of the lands is already affecting agriculture around the Prestea and Samreboi areas.

Speaking to Piesie Okrah on Ka Wadwen, a segment on Dwaboase on TV XYZ, the MP who is a former Municipal Chief Executive in the area recounted how these persons including Chinese forcefully take over peoples farmlands and mine there with heavy security protection.

“The canker is worrying because people keep asking if I know about their activities. At Samreboi, forests are being destroyed by some of these people under the protection of macho men and nobody dares enter there to protest,” he narrated.

“Our chiefs are even afraid to approach these people because they are always armed,” Mr Cudjoe added.

His concerns come at a time illegal mining has taken over in the area while the ownership of various concessions are unknown to the chiefs and people.

Mr Cudjoe said the security personnel in the area that ought to intervene have rather chosen to be silent although excavators and heavy earth-moving equipment are transported into the forest reserves during day time.

Some residents of Samreboi had already complained about the mining activities of a company named Akonta Mines which operates in the area.

The company had been accused few weeks ago of operating in forest reserves and areas belonging to Samartex, a wood processing company in the area.

Mr Robert Cudjoe corroborated the concerns of the residents in Samreboi, noting that their modus operandi had scared residents who had protested openly against the company’s operations.

Depletion of Forest Reserves

Recently, the MP for Amenfi West, Mr Eric Afful, called for full-scale investigation into the issuance of a mining licence to Akonta Mines to undertake small-scale mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest.

The Tano Nimiri Forest lies between Amenfi West and Aowin municipalities in the Western and the Western North regions respectively is being depleted by the mining company.

In August 2022, the Minerals Commission debunked allegations that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor, had granted prospecting licences to the company to prospect for minerals in Forest Reserves.

A statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi, explained that Akonta Mining Ltd had applied for a prospecting licence which is yet to be processed by the Minerals Commission.

The Company, he said, had also applied for a Forest Entry Permit to enter the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

Throwing more light on the matter, he said by a letter dated August 8, 2022, the Forestry Commission wrote to the Minerals Commission indicating that although it has, in principle, no objection to the Company’s application, the application must be processed “subject to the Honourable Minister of Lands and Natural Resources’ directive on mining in Forest Reserve”.

The Minerals Commission further clarified that “The Forestry Commission’s letter does not constitute a Forest Entry Permit nor a prospecting licence.”