Speaking in an interview, Ben Annan, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has demanded that Prof. Frimpong Boateng, the former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, account for the missing excavators that were seized from illegal miners. GNASSM has expressed its dissatisfaction with the manner in which the government is handling the case saying that Boateng should not only be ousted but should also account for the missing excavators.
“Professor Frimpong Boateng said the excavators were missing. Our position is that changing Frimpong Boateng is not enough. The government should ask for accountability from him on the missing excavators. If the government leaves the matter as it is, we will fail to reach a consensus with the government anytime soon. He must show us where the excavators are so we know our next steps.” The tough-talking Annan said.
The association’s demands follow a last year’s incident that saw over 500 excavators belonging to illegal miners being seized by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) and parked at various district assemblies for safekeeping as prosecutions proceeded. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng the Committee’s chair and the then Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation reported that most of the excavators that were seized from the illegal miners had gone missing.
The disclosure by the ex-minister resulted in the arrest of 6 suspects linked with directly stealing or helping the thieves of the excavators and other equipment. A few months later, President Nana Akufo-Addo fired Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng from being the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) and granted the position to the then Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh.
Ousting Prof. Frimpong Boateng is not Enough, He Must be Held Accountable for the Missing Excavators, Small Scale Miners Association Tells Government
