Former Environment Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng admitted that he felt betrayed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo‘s administration’s commitment to ending illegal mining.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng expressed surprise at President Akufo-Addo’s lack of backing in the fight against ‘galamsey,’ or illegal small-scale mining.
He reiterated his earlier assessment of the President’s commitment to combating illegal mining during an interview on TV3’s Hot Issue on Sunday, October 22, only to realize he might have been mistaken.
He mentioned his initial faith in the President’s backing and cited the President’s pledge to risk his presidency to put an end to illegal mining.
Later, though, he began to wonder if his initial assessment of the situation was accurate.
“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,” he said.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has changed since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng was a member during the Kufuor administration, he added.
He stated that there had been significant changes, “You will find people who have no elected or appointed positions in the party or in government, yet they appear to wield so much power that they do as they please, and party and government members are fearful of them.
“This is an unhealthy development in the party and in an NPP government.”
The Office of the Attorney General’s decision last week clearing government officials of allegations of illegal mining activity made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), served as the basis for Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s remarks.
Professor Frimpong Boateng claimed that specific public officials and private citizens were engaged in illegal mining activities in a 36-page report titled “Report on the work of IMCIM so far and the way forward.”
