The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has asked the Minerals Commission to revoke the mining license of Akonta Mining Ltd over illegal operations.
According to him, a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the discovery of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining.
Akonta Mining Ltd is owned by NPP's Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
During a press briefing on April 21, 2025, the minister said: "Some interviews conducted with a few residents indicate that the modus operandi of Akonta Mining is to use force to enter and destroy even the farmlands and produce of poor farmers in the area. "Armed with this intel, on the eve of Good Friday (17th April 2025), an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the raid of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining." According to the minister, the operation in Compartment 49, which began at 5 AM and lasted a whopping 12 hours, resulted in: • 51 arrests (8 Chinese, 39 Ghanaian men, 4 Ghanaian women) • Seizure of about 30 excavators, 5 recovered and impounded at the operation base • 2 Pump-action guns loaded with 5 and 2 rounds of BB cartridges each, 1 single-barrel gun retrieved • Confiscation of 2 Toyota Hilux pickups, 1 Toyota RAV4, 4 motorbikes, and a cache of mining equipment.
