The late Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who was a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been named in the Frimpong-Boateng report on the fight against illegal mining in Ghana according to a report by 3News.
According to the report, Mr. Owusu Afriyie's commission deliberately failed to subscribe to GalamStop, an app designed to regulate agencies in the forest industry. The report further highlighted that Sir John, as he was popularly known, actively gave out timber concessions, even in forest reserves for logging.
He also granted entry permits to mining companies, including foreign nationals, for prospecting activities at a time when the President had banned such activities.
In the report, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng expressed his disappointment that the Forestry Commission did not migrate onto the GalamStop platform.
He also revealed that Sir John had Chinese gangs doing mining on his behalf through Charles Owusu, the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission. The renowned heart surgeon recalled how he once told Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the presence of Sir John, that the greatest danger to the forests of Ghana was Sir John himself.
Moreover, Mr. Owusu was also accused of destroying forest reserves without a permit through his mining activities, despite being the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission. It's important to note that this report has been compiled by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and it sheds light on the significant impact of illegal mining on Ghana's natural resources.
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