AKONTA MINING COMPANY LIMITED
OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE MINERALS COMMISSION’S PRESS RELEASE
DATED: 22ND APRIL 2025
RE: ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES BY AKONTA MINING LIMITED IN THE TANO NIMIRI FOREST RESERVE
The Management of Akonta Mining Company Limited has taken notice of the press release issued by the Minerals Commission on 22nd April 2025, and wishes to set the record straight in response to the multiple inaccuracies, distortions, and damaging claims contained therein.
We respond as follows:
1. ON THE CLAIM THAT AKONTA IS ENGAGED IN ILLEGAL MINING IN THE TANO NIMIRI FOREST RESERVE
This allegation is false, baseless, and defamatory.
The Commission itself admits that:
• Akonta does not have a mining lease covering the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve;
• Akonta has not been granted a forest entry permit;
• The mining lease application submitted on 25th August 2022 was not approved or signed;
• No environmental permit or operating permit has been issued in respect of that area.
If these are the facts, how then can the Commission, in the same breath, accuse Akonta of operating illegally in the forest reserve? This contradiction is glaring and exposes the Commission’s release as reckless, inconsistent, and damaging.
Let it be stated unequivocally: Akonta Mining Company Limited has never undertaken any mining operation within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. No machinery, equipment, or personnel belonging to the company has been deployed there.
In addition, and most importantly, Akonta Mining Company Limited is not currently operating anywhere in Ghana. That is the reality on the ground.
2. ON THE THREE MINING LEASES GRANTED OUTSIDE THE FOREST RESERVE
It is a matter of public record that Akonta Mining was granted three valid mining leases on 23rd July 2021, covering areas outside the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The Commission’s attempt to question the legality of these leases on grounds of non-ratification is legally flawed and misleading.
The Supreme Court of Ghana, in the landmark decision Attorney-General v. Faroe Atlantic Co. Ltd. [2010] SCGLR 224, held that the absence of parliamentary ratification does not render a mining lease void, but only voidable by a competent court.
Unless and until a court rules otherwise, these leases remain legal, valid, and fully enforceable.
3. ON THE SO-CALLED “AGENTS OF THE COMPANY” FOUND IN THE FOREST
We categorically deny engaging or authorizing any individual to operate on our behalf in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
We challenge the Minerals Commission to publicly produce:
• The identities of these alleged “agents”;
• Proof of their affiliation with Akonta Mining;
• Any contract or documentation confirming agency.
In the absence of such evidence, this claim is not only unfounded, but also an act of gross administrative negligence and reputational assault.
4. ON THE CLAIM THAT AKONTA IS OPERATING WITHOUT AN ENVIRONMENTAL OR OPERATING PERMIT OUTSIDE THE FOREST
This is another deliberate falsehood.
While it is true that permits for the areas outside the forest are in process, Akonta Mining has not conducted any mining operations without following due process. We have remained in active communication with the appropriate regulatory agencies to fulfill every legal and procedural requirement.
5. ON THE ATTEMPT TO LABEL LEGITIMATE MINING OUTSIDE THE FOREST AS “ILLEGAL”
This claim is the most troubling of all. The Commission’s assertion that mining activities conducted outside the forest—on legally granted leases—are “illegal” is both dangerous and unfounded.
Such a conclusion amounts to administrative sabotage, undermines investor confidence, and sets a dangerous precedent where regulatory bodies can nullify valid investments without judicial oversight or due process.
6. DEMAND FOR RETRACTION AND LEGAL NOTICE
The Minerals Commission has, through its actions and publications, caused serious reputational harm to Akonta Mining Company Limited.
We therefore demand:
• An immediate retraction of the false statements contained in the Commission’s press release;
• A public apology to the company and its stakeholders;
• An end to the deliberate attempts to criminalize and destroy Ghanaian-owned enterprises.
Failure to act will result in Akonta Mining Company Limited initiating legal proceedings for defamation, abuse of administrative authority, and economic sabotage.
We remain committed to the lawful and responsible development of Ghana’s mineral resources. However, we will not sit quietly while our name is maligned and our constitutional rights are trampled upon.
SIGNED
MANAGEMENT
AKONTA MINING COMPANY LIMITED
DATED: 23RD APRIL 2025
