President will deal with culprits in Apiate explosion - Minister

Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has assured that the government is committed to taking action against anyone or institution found culpable in the Apiate explosion.

He stressed that the government wouldn't spare anyone who is deemed to have shirked his or her responsibility in the incident.

Mr Jinapor gave the assurance in Accra on Tuesday when a Ministerial Committee set up by him to independently investigate the Appiatse explosion presented its report to him.

According to the Minister, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had taken a keen interest in the issue and will crack the whip on anyone who breached the regulations leading to the accident that claimed 14 lives and injured more than 170 persons in the January 20 disaster.

He also promised that the recommendations and findings of the committee would be implemented to forestall future occurrences.

"I want to assure the country that the President is fully committed to ensuring that whoever is found culpable and whoever is found to have breached any rule will be made to face the full rigours of the law.

"Whatever lessons we have to learn, we will do so and do that dispassionately," he added.

He said that the work and report of the committee are exclusive of and 'without prejudice' to ongoing investigations by the Ghana Police Service and other state agencies.

Mr Abu Jinapor stated that the report of the committee would serve as a guide to the government on the measures that ought to be taken to avert such situations and improve safety in the mining sector.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr Benjamin Aryee, commended members of the committee for their sacrifice and thanked the Minister for the confidence reposed in them to execute the task.

"I am convinced beyond equivocation that the comprehensive, dispassionate, and objective work done by the committee will be put to action by the government," he said.

The three-member committee Chaired by Mr Benjamin Aryee, also includes; Mr Peter Awuah and Mr Cletus Alengah.