Akonta Mining Holds 3 Mining Leases Outside Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve- Minerals Commission

The Minerals Commission has stated that Akonta Mining Limited- owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party- has three mining leases for concessions that are not within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

The company applied for leases which were granted in July 2021, valid for ten years,

“It is important to state that these three mining leases are not within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve,” the Commission said in a press statement.

It emphasized that the three mining leases have not been ratified while the Company has no environmental or operating permits as requisite to mining in forest reserves.

“It is important to note that for any lawful mining operation to be undertaken, the Company must have: A Ratified Mining Lease, An Environmental Permit issued by the Environmental Protection Authority, and An Operating Permit, issued by the Chief Inspector of Mines of the Commission. In addition, a Forest Entry Permit is required if mining activities are to be undertaken in the forest.”

That notwithstanding, the company has been faulted for indirectly mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

This, it noted, makes the operation of the company illegal.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini