Nana Serwaa Bruwaa II, Queen mother of Adansi Akrokerri has affirmed her support for the initiatives by the government to relentlessly fight the menace of illegal mining. However, she said, the battle must be fought with the support of government agencies and members of the public.
According to her, she has been against illegal mining from day one, because it degrades the environment and, therefore, she would never be part of it.
The Queen mother, who was reacting to allegations of complicity in illegal mining activities in her jurisdiction told The Chronicle with documentary evidence that her commitment in the fight against the practice dates back to April 2020, when Gold Stone Mining Company was launched at Akrokerri under the community mining projects by the government to boost employment and development.
According to her, she sought the assistance of the Adansi North District Chief Executive in June 2020, when some disgruntled youth engaged in illegal mining at two sites near the Health Centre and the local Senior High School, which were seen as nuisance to the community.
When the assurance of the Adansi North Assembly to ensure that the Operation Vanguard, headquartered at Obuasi, would undertake patrols, did not workand so she wrote to the Intelligence Officer of the 4th Infantry Brigade in July, 2020 for the intervention of the Ghana Armed Forces to stop the illegal miners who were using dynamites in their operations fearing that it could collapse buildings.
In October 2022, Nana Serwaa Bruwaa and Nana Kofi Berchie, the regent had notified the Municipal Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipality about the presence of illegal miners at Aboagyekrom, Boete and parts of Akrokerristool lands, drawing the attention of the MCE that it was illegal to mine without the required documents and consent of appropriate authorities.
The Akrokerri Sub-Traditional Council made public announcements in May 2023 to the effect that Nana Serwaa Bruwaa and Nana Kofi Berchie do not enjoy any share of booty from the operations of illegal miners and that they did not endorse illegality.
The Queen mother also had cause to write to the Ashanti Regional Minister on May 26, 2023 when illegal miners did not heed the various announcements and moves to stop their activities and started encroaching upon concession of Goldstone Akrokerri Limited and mined beneath houses in the community.
Similar reports have been made to the Regional Police Commander (Bekwai), National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and the Divisional Police Commander since June, 2023 to no avail.
Nana Serwaa Bruwaa further indicated her innocence with a proof of petition dated June 20, 2023 to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II through the Registrar of the Manhyia Palace for the royal intervention since the various agencies and authorities including the Ashanti Regional Minister, Obuasi East District Chief Executive, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, and their Police Command counterparts and the Divisional Police Commander had not taken any concrete action to address the situation.
Under these circumstances and while awaiting for the authoritative intervention of His Royal Majesty, Opemsuo Osei Tutu, Nana Serwaa Bruwaa has renewed her commitment to fight illegal mining in her jurisdiction and ensure that mining is not done to contaminate or disrupt water flow systems or degrade the environment.
She, however, emphasised that the community mining scheme is a legal mining project and urged the miners under the scheme to abide by all regulations set for the community mining project.
