It is a catalogue of personal claims and grievances – Presidency discounts Frimpong Boateng’s galamsey report

The Presidency of Ghana has officially responded to the details of a 36 paged report written by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in his capacity as the Chairman of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), in March 2021 authored the said report on the directive of the Chief of Staff to brief the president about his work as the committee chairman in the fight against illegal mining.

Whereas the former minister in the report implicated several persons within the current government, the ruling Patriotic Party and associates of government actors, the presidency in a statement dated Saturday, April 22, 2023, said his claims were merely a listicle of personal grievances.

“At the outset, it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM,” the presidency said in the statement published on its official website.

Amongst other things, Prof Frimpong-Boateng in his report alleged various interferences in his work but the presidency described his allegations as hearsay and without evidence.

“Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay,” it said.

The report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng recently became a topic in the media after it was leaked.

This has led to some critics accusing the government and the president of lacking the commitment to end galamsey despite its negative effects.

Read the full statement from the Presidency below:

Press Statement On Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s “Report”

Press Releases 21 April 2023

The attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to a publication in the media ostensibly quoting from a document authored by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, which, allegedly, imputes wrongdoing on the part of some government appointees in the fight against Galamsey.

At the outset, it must be pointed out that the document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19th 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

This was after Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s tenure as Minister had not been renewed by the President of the Republic in his second term. The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action. It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither.

It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated.

Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document.

The President’s commitment to fighting illegal mining is unassailable, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on illegal mining activities which provides a credible basis for investigations to be conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.

We continue to count on the co-operation of the general public.

Meanwhile, watch the latest SayItLoud episode on GhanaWeb TV below:

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