Lands ministry rejects Okudzeto Ablakwa's claim that Akufo-Addo's daughters are engaged in galamsey

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has rebuffed a new set of allegations by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that seek to implicate the daughters of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in alleged acts of illegal mining (galamsey).

In a statement issued on Saturday, September 28, 2024, the ministry sought to establish a clear distinction between the daughters of the president and a mining firm known as Elite Minerals Company Limited.

The ministry clarified that while Elite Minerals Company Limited was formed in 2008, it was granted a mining lease in the Kwaebibirem Municipality during the Mahama administration in 2012.

The ministry stated that contrary to Okudzeto Ablakwa’s claims, not a single member of the president’s family is involved in galamsey.

"The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been drawn to certain comments by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleging that the daughters of the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, are either associated with a certain company and/or involved in illegal mining."

"The said allegations are palpably false and without merit whatsoever," the statement said.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in the statement, reaffirmed its commitment to the fight against illegal mining.

It also preached against the politicization of the fight, cautioning that the country risks suffering in the future if the conversation around illegal mining is not nationalistic.

"While the Ministry welcomes the public interest in the fight against illegal mining, the Ministry continues to implore the Hon. Member and the general public to be factual in their comments.

"The Ministry wishes to assure the people of Ghana of its unwavering commitment to the fight against illegal mining, and doing so with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and candour, in the public interest," parts of the statement read.

EK