The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has dismissed allegations made by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing President Akufo-Addo’s daughters of involvement in illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
According to the Ministry, these claims are entirely false and misleading, as the President’s daughters are not connected to any such activities. In a statement issued on Saturday, September 28, 2024, the Ministry clarified that no member of the President’s family is engaged in galamsey, contrary to the accusations made by the MP.
They described the allegations as politically motivated, aimed at damaging the reputation of the President’s family, and urged the public to disregard them. The Ministry further explained that the Elite Minerals Company Limited, which Ablakwa alleged was tied to the President’s daughters, was actually registered in 2008 and granted a mining lease in the Kwaebibirem Municipality in 2012, during the John Mahama administration. This, they said, debunks any claim of current involvement by the President’s family in illegal mining.
The Ministry reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating illegal mining and stressed that any individuals, regardless of their connections, would be held accountable under the law. They also called on political figures to avoid spreading falsehoods for political gain, while highlighting the government’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate lands affected by galamsey and protect the country’s natural resources.
“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.
