Former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has reiterated his concerns about the impact of illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) on the environment.
Highlighting the impact of the illicit mining practices on the environment, he said the destruction that is done to the forest means the pharmacies, especially the herbal ones, are collapsing because the plants they need to prepare their drugs are being destroyed.
Speaking at a public forum in Accra on Monday, November 4 he said “Galamsey is destroying our forest, destroying our lands and our pharmacies.”
Earlier, Prof Frimpong-Boateng indicated he thought he had the backing of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the fight against galamsey but he realized he was wrong in having that impression.
He believed that the president did not mean it when he said he was putting his presidency on the line to stop galamsney.
Prof Frimpong Boateng indicated that the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not the same as he knew it years ago under the Kufuor administration.
Asked why he made that point while speaking in an interview with TV3’s Kemmini Amanor on the Hot Issue on Sunday, October 22, he said “You will find people who have no elected or appointed positions in the party or in government and they appear to wield so much power that they do what they like and party people, and government people are afraid of them, and so on. That is an unhealthy development in the party and in an NPP government.”
When you said the president has changed, what did you mean by that? he was asked again.
In answer, he said “dynamic, and when he said something he meant it, and he was approachable, he still is, but there are a lot of things that he said that are not working well as far as I am concerned. Let us take the fight against illegal mining, the president gave his his word that he was going to put his presidency on the line to stop that thing. I was very confident I had his support but later on, I got the impression that maybe I was wrong.”
What is the difference between the Akufo-Addo then and Now? The Akufo-Addo now stood by his words, he was a man of his words but the one we see now, isn’t he? Kemini asked again.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng replied, “Not exactly because there seem to be some contradictions in some of the things that we knew but probably it is because of the complexity of governance, you may something but then when the reality dawns on you, you may have to change your position on certain issues, maybe that may have accounted for the change I am seeing.”
The Former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), authored a 36-page document titled “Report on the work of IMCIM so far and the way forward” which made several allegations of government officials neck deep in galamsey.
The report alleged that some government officials and private citizens were involved in galamsey.
The Attorney-General Godfred Dame looked at the report and subsequently issued its advice to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
The advice noted that all of the individuals named in Prof Frimpong- Boateng’s report denied the various allegations made against them in the report.
According to Mr Dame, several attempts by the Police to obtain further information from Professor Frimpong Boateng to substantiate the allegations in the Report and to assist them in conducting further investigations proved futile.
“The Professor refused to provide any further information to the police,” the A-G said.
According to the A-G, Prof Frimpong-Boateng also declined to give a written statement, claiming his Report is ‘an embodiment of his statement’ and all the information he has on the allegations” – the Chief State Attorney, Mrs. Keelson stated.
The Godfred Dame further stated further that, investigations by the Police have not revealed any evidence in support of the allegations.
“The allegations are therefore bare and do not provide a basis for any criminal charge against the persons cited in the Report” – the Advice stated.
But Prof Frimpong-Boateng denied the Attorney-General’s claim.
He told Kemini Amanor that “it is not true, I cooperated with the CID fully, I am not an investigative agent.”