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Tag: Asamang Tamfoe

  • Galamsey: Police raid at Ankaase Gyadam leads to 27 arrests

    Galamsey: Police raid at Ankaase Gyadam leads to 27 arrests

    Twenty-seven (27) male suspects have been arrested at Ankaase Gyadam, near Asamang Tamfoe in the Eastern Region following a major anti-illegal mining (galamsey) operation.

    According to a police statement, the exercise was conducted on Friday, July 25, targeting illegal mining activities, was led by the Ghana Police Service.

    The operation also led to the seizure of 11 excavators, 1 bulldozer, 1 pump-action shotgun, 3 saloon vehicles, 1 Mitsubishi pickup truck, a pick loader, several water pumping machines, and other mining tools.

    Over 500 arrests have been made from January to May this year in response to efforts to combat galamsey.

    The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, attributed the achievement to the government’s renewed efforts.

    According to him, the previous government faced challenges due to its inability to convict the suspects.

    “From 2022 to 2024, out of 845 arrests we made, we couldn’t even prosecute. Only 35 were prosecuted, and that is 4%, and that is really the challenge we had to face,” he noted.

    The government recently announced that it has reclaimed eight out of nine forest reserves that are known as no-go zones and controlled by illegal miners (galamseyers).

    Speaking at the Global Mining Summit on Monday, June 2, President Mahama noted that the recent development marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate mined lands and foster sustainable mining practices.

    “Let me be clear at this juncture: artisanal miners are not enemies of the state. If properly trained and supported, they can be allies in our development. Working together with the small-scale mining sector, we will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies,” the President said.

    According to President John Dramani Mahama, the government plans to reclaim 10,000 hectares of mined-out lands from illegal mining activities.

    The Ghana Police Service, in recent times, has embarked on several operations to crack down on illegal mining activities.

    Its special Anti-Galamsey Taskforce seized more than 100 excavators, along with weapons, chanfang machines, bulldozers, and other illegal mining equipment.

    The police’s efforts have also resulted in the arrest of numerous individuals who are undergoing legal proceedings.

    Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government, in the coming days, will approve the importation of excavators except through a valid permit.

    “We will track excavators to know whether they are being used for illegal mining. Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined. The new permitting regime will not allow you to import any excavator unless you have a valid permit to do so,” President Mahama stated.

    A few months ago, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced the rollout of a system to monitor excavator imports and usage, involving port tagging and digital tracking in partnership with several state agencies.

    The third most valuable item imported into this country is excavators, and it is worth GHC6.2 billion, according to the sector minister.

    The joint Military-Forestry Commission task force that conducted targeted operations in high-risk districts across the Ashanti, Western, and Western North Regions led to the seizure of 100 excavators, three bulldozers, and four vehicles.

    Excavator owners and operators who have failed to register their machines with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) risk losing them to the state, as the government intensifies efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, issued the directive in Accra, warning that effective June 1, any excavator not registered with the DVLA will be confiscated.

    Speaking at a press briefing, Mr. Kotey announced that the Ghana Police Service and the DVLA’s operational team will begin nationwide enforcement after the deadline, arresting and impounding excavators being used at mining sites or for commercial purposes without proper documentation.

    “This exercise will help identify every excavator that enters the country and trace how it is being used. The goal is to ensure we can monitor and hold people accountable,” Mr. Kotey said.

    The directive falls in line with Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), which mandates the registration of all motor vehicles and trailers, including farm and heavy-duty equipment. Despite the law, the DVLA has found many unregistered excavators operating in mining areas, some of which have been used in illegal activities.

    Mr. Kotey emphasized that the DVLA, with its 34 offices nationwide, has the capacity to register all excavators and farm machinery within the two-week period and is ready to strictly enforce the directive.

    He stressed the environmental toll caused by unregulated excavator use in illegal mining, saying, “Excavators in the hands of illegal miners have worsened the destruction of our environment. This is why we must act.”

    To further control the situation, the DVLA, in collaboration with key agencies like the Minerals Commission, National Security, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has started tagging all newly imported excavators.

    In addition to tagging new imports, the Minerals Commission has been tasked to lead a team that will tag all excavators already in the country. Legal small-scale mining sites have also been geo-fenced, with their site coordinates integrated into the Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking software for better oversight.

  • Galamsey chief crawls the ground to plead Okyenhene’s Mercy

    It has emerged that the Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin destooled the Benkumhene of Asamang Tamfoe Nana Darkwa despite pleas by the sub-chief.

    Nana Darkwa, in earlier reports, had called bluff reports of his destoolment by the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council led by the Okyenhene.

    However, appearing before the committee on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, Nana Darkwa lied down to plead against his destoolment when the Council found him guilty of engaging in illegal small scale mining also known as galamsey.

    Nana Darkwa was also found guilty of disrespecting the Council and the Okyenhene for holding a press conference in which he called the bluff of the Okyeman Environmental Protection Taskforce and threatening to clash with them if they dared enter Asamang Tamfoe to clamp down on illegal mining in the area.

    At the press conference, he is said to have addressed himself as the chairman of the Community Mining Committee at Asamang Tamfoe and Benkumhene of the area, who wield the sole powers to supervise community mining in the area.

    Nana Darkwa is said to have instigated the Asamang Tamfoe youth in a confrontation that ensued between the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce and a section of the youth in the area which led to the sporadic gunshot in the area some months ago.

    He had questioned the authority of the leader of the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce who double as the Apepamhene, Okogyeman Apedja Fori and the Kyebi Divisional Police Command on clamping down the menace of illegal mining in the area.

    But appearing before the Council, Nana Darkwa appeared remorseful while lying before the Okyehene to plead for pardon.

    However, the Okyenhene refused his plea for pardon and insisted that the Benkumhene was not fit to be a chief per his conduct.

    Subsequently, Okyenhene’s chief linguist Okyeame Antwi Boasiako performed customary rites at the forecourt of Ofori Panin Fie to symbolise the destoolment of Nana Darkwa.

    The customary rites were performed in the presence of the Kyebi Executive Council and the Chief of Asamang Tamfoe Nana Kwame Koh II.

    Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin cautioned Chiefs within the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional area to be guided by this development and desist from promoting activities of illegal mining or getting involved in same or face destoolment.

    The Okyenhene emphasised that he will not relent in his effort to crack the whip on any chief within the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional area who is involved in illegal mining.

     

  • ‘Successful galamsey fight requires collaborative national effort’ President Akufo-Addo

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reiterated his commitment to working hand-in-hand with Chiefs, traditional rulers and all stakeholders in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey).

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “it is obvious that, if we are to win the fight, you and I have to take the lead to collaborate closely to do so. That is why I am here today.”

    Addressing the National House of Chiefs on Wednesday, (October 5, 2022), the President noted that 80 percent of the lands Ghana continue to be under the custody of Chiefs, whereas the remainder of 20 percent is held in trust by the President.

    What this means, he said is that, ultimately, the welfare of the state of the lands is the joint responsibility of Chiefs and the President, although, by statute, the minerals in the soil belong to the President in trust for the people.

    “Historically, we discharged that responsibility well. Even though, for centuries, we have been a mining nation, mining did not pose a threat to the health of our environment and water bodies. The rules that you put in place for mining ensured that the sanctity of our lands remained intact, and our water bodies remained unpolluted. Tragically, in the modern era, that is no longer the case. And that is why I have come to you today to talk about how, together, we can repair this dramatic situation,” he said.

    President Akufo-Addo indicated that, since he took office, on January 7, 2017, he has made it a central feature of his presidency to lead in the efforts to rid the country of the menace of galamsey, with a firm commitment made in his inaugural speech on the matter.

    “It has not been easy, it has not been popular, and we have not got the immediate results that I was looking for. Indeed, in the last elections of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bombast nor recklessness. It was the simple truth,” he said.

    The President continued, “We have tried many initiatives, including that of the Community Mining Scheme, and the establishment of a new legal regime for dealing with the perpetrators of this phenomenon, which has imposed severe sanctions on those, Ghanaians and foreigners, convicted of illegal mining. Still, we have not won the fight.”

    In seeking further assistance from the National House of Chiefs in addressing the galamsey phenomenon, he noted that taking partisan political interests out of the fight against galamsey is one way forward.

    “It can only succeed if it is a truly national battle, which no one seeks to exploit for political gain, as we saw in the last election. The progress of our country depends on all of us, all citizens of Ghana, all Fellow Ghanaians, pulling together to defeat this existential threat to our future,” he added.

    Reiterating the stance of Government, President Akufo-Addo noted that “we are not against mining, but we cannot accept mining in a manner that risks destroying our country. Our nation has always been a mining nation. Indeed, in the 15th century, when the first Europeans, the Portuguese, came to our shores, they called the first European-influenced town, Elmina, meaning ‘the mine’ in Portuguese, because, from their ships as they approached our shores, that is the activity they saw our people engaged in. it is not surprising that, in colonial times, we were called the Gold Coast.”

    He, thus, asked all Ghanaians to join hands with him in the fight against illegal mining, in order to bring an end to the devastation of the Ghanaian landscape, and the pollution of our water bodies.

    “We have to win that fight to keep our environment clean, and protect our heritage for our descendants, as you did in the past,” he added.

    Source: Graphiconline.com

  • We’re engaged in community mining, not galamsey – Asamang Tamfoe residents claim

    The chiefs and people of Asamang Tamfoe, a farming community near Anyinam in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region, have dismissed claims that the youth in the town are involved in illegal mining (galamsey).

    At a press conference at Asamang Tamfoe on Monday, the Benkumhene of the town, Nana Boakye Darkwa, said the area had been licensed for a community mining programme which the government launched in June this year.

    Shooting indiscriminately

    On Thursday, September 29, 2022, members of the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce and the Kibi Divisional Police Command raided the town and that led to indiscriminate shootings during which some of the young men sustained gunshot wounds and had to be treated at the hospital.

    Clad in red bands

    Nana Darkwa, who is also the Chairman of the government’s community mining committee, clad in red band and surrounded by other members of the community, including the youth of the town all of whom were clad in red apparell, said it was unfortunate that the chief of Apapam, Osabarima Okogyeaman Apagya Ofori, should lead the Okyeman Taskforce to direct its members to shoot at innocent young men in the town who were engaged in licensed community mining but not illegal mining.

    We will face them squarely

    “If they come back to the community, we will face them squarely”, the Benkumhene of Asamang Tamfoe indicated.

    Nana Darkwa stressed that if the Apapamhene and the taskforce were actually clamping down on illegal miners, they should have presented themselves to the Benkumhene of the town to announce their presence and intentions.

    The Benkumhene pointed out that they failed to do so but rather started shooting indiscriminately leading to many of the youth sustaining gunshot wounds.

    He also expressed displeasure with the involvement of the Kyebi Divisional Police Commander, Superintendent Magnus Reindorf Sam, who led the Okyeman Taskforce and called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to immediately remove the commander from the area because he did not do the right thing.

    Most of the youth in the town, who were engaged in government’s community mining, said they were for peace that was why they decided not to physically confront the police and the taskforce.

    According to the youth, the community mining concept was the initiative of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and so the President should call the Okyeman Taskforce and the Kyebi Divisional Police Commander to order.

    Background

    The Kibi Divisional Police Command together with the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce on Thursday, September 27, 2022 undertook a joint operation and arrested 24 young men suspected to be engaging in illegal mining at Asamang Tamfoe.

    The taskforce seized some mining equipment, including excavators.

    Source: Graphiconline.com

  • Asamang Tamfoe shooting: 16 suspects in custody, Eastern Regional Command takes over investigations

    The Eastern Regional Police Command has taken over the investigations into the shooting incident at Asamang Tamfoe in the Atewa East District on Thursday.

    The incident is in relation to illegal mining activities in the area.

    Meanwhile, 16 of the total of 24 suspects arrested are in police custody in Koforidua. The eight were released after a screening exercise by the police when it was detected that they were farmers who were arrested as part of the swoop.

    They were taken to the Koforidua High Court Friday morning but the court was not in session.

    Efforts are underway to grant them police enquiry bail.

    A team from the Eastern Regional Police Command, led by the Regional Commander, DCOP Anderson Fosu Ackaah Friday morning visited the Asamang Tamfoe community to engage the people.

    What happened?

    There was some disagreement with community members of Asamang Tamfoe when an anti illegal mining taskforce and the police from Kyebi went to the area to arrest suspects and seize illegal mining equipment.

    The police and the task force had gone into a bush in the area to stop a suspected illegal mining activity.

    However, the community members insisted, their operations were approved as it was part of an approved community mining activity.

    The police and task force seized some mining equipment including excavators.

    On their way out in a convoy transporting the arrested suspects and the equipment to Kyebi where the District Police Command headquarters is located, the community members blocked the road.

    This led to the firing of shots.