It appears the blatant nature in which some illegal miners plied their trade is more worrying than many assumed.
The garden of President Akufo-Addo’s Kyebi residence was being pummeled by miners for gold while the President publicly touted his unwavering commitment to fight the canker.
This was part of a leaked report put together by former Environment Minister, Prof Frimpong-Boateng detailing how the Eastern Region and other areas were fast becoming a hub for galamsey operations.
The document also named individuals fueling the problem including top government officials.
The development has wreaked havoc on the environment forcing government to mount a strong campaign to end it.
But the report indicates that the miners were found to be digging the garden of the President’s home in search of the precious mineral.
It was allegedly being perpetuated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Organizer in the area at the time.
“I had a telephone call from Mr. Eric Antwi of the Office of the President and he narrated that the youth organizer of the NPP in Kyebi was excavating for gold in a field close to the house of H.E. the President of the Republic,” he said.
The former Minister who doubled as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) says his checks confirmed the issue and that “indeed part of the garden of the President had been affected” without the President’s knowledge.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng says he subsequently sent a team with “a bulldozer and an excavator to the area to reclaim the land and vegetate it.”
The former Minister added that “nothing happened to the local youth organizer who caused the damage.”
