Irate youth burn $1.5m worth of galamsey equipment

A horde of youth numbering about 300 at Abekoase in the Atiwa district of the Eastern Region on Sunday torched earthmoving equipment belonging to Agyei Dankwa Investment, which does illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the area.

The heavy equipment burnt included two new Liebherr excavators, three heavy duty generators, a new Nelson Gold concentrator, two drums of engine oil, two drums of hydraulic oil, a 5000-litre poly tank, 6000-litre diesel container, six water pumps, tools and equipment boxes and welding plants.

The cost of the equipment is estimated at USD$1.5million.

CEO of the mining company, Patrick Agyei Dankwa, took journalists and law officers on a tour of the site on Tuesday.

According to him, his company was not doing illegal mining as thought by the irate youth but has a permit from the Minerals Commission to mine.

A campaign by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources for the past few months succeeded in ending galamsey across the country. The Government subsequently gave strict orders to galamseyers to get their equipment registered and licensed for any such activity after they have been normalised.