The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for the Juaben Constituency in the Ashanti Region for the 2024 elections, Francis Owusu-Akyaw, has come under scrutiny following revelations about his connections to Unipower Mining Company Limited.
The Fourth Estate has uncovered that this company, linked to Mr Owusu-Akyaw, has obtained two active mining leases under questionable circumstances.
Mr Owusu-Akyaw was a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Small-Scale Mining, established by President Akufo-Addo to combat illegal mining and propose reforms in the sector.
According to the Fourth Estate the former Secretary to the Committee, Charles Bissue, revealed that Mr Owusu-Akyaw was dismissed from the committee after allegedly suggesting they exploit their positions to become involved in small-scale mining.
“The then Secretary to the Committee, Charles Bissue, confirmed to The Fourth Estate that he was sacked from the committee. This was because he (Owusu-Akyaw) had allegedly suggested to him( Bissue ) that they could take advantage of their positions on the committee to get involved in small-scale mining. A search through the Minerals Commission’s database revealed that Mr Owusu-Akyaw is the contact person for at least 15 mining companies,” Fourth Estate revealed.
Further investigation by The Fourth Estate revealed that Owusu-Akyaw is listed as the contact person for at least 15 mining companies.
Among these is Unipower Mining Company Limited, which was registered on August 22, 2019.
The company, which lists two Chinese directors, Liu Dingfeng and Liu Renxiu, as shareholders, was initially set up to provide mining services.
A former Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Tony Aubyn, explained that Unipower’s registration only permits it to provide mining services rather than own mining concessions.
Despite this, The Fourth Estate discovered that Unipower applied for mining leases in forest reserves on November 25, 2022—the same day the LI2462 regulation came into force.
“Another one of Mr Owusu-Akyaw’s clients is Unipower Mining Company Limited, which has two Chinese directors as shareholders – Liu Dingfeng and Liu Renxiu (named beneficial owner). The company was registered on August 22, 2019. From the ORC’s records, the company was registered to provide mining services.
“A former Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Tony Aubyn, explained to The Fourth Estate that this categorization means that the company cannot own concessions of its own but, can be hired by concession owners as a service provider. However, The Fourth Estate discovered that Unipower applied for mining leases in the forest reserves on November 25, 2022 – the day LI2462 came into force. The company currently has two active mining leases.
“While one of these concessions is in the Boin Tano Forest Reserve in the Western Region, the other one is partially in the reserve by the Tano River. Seven other applications from Unipower are at various stages of consideration, the Minerals Commission’s database shows,” Fourth State added.
The company currently holds two active mining leases: one in the Boin Tano Forest Reserve in the Western Region and another partially in the reserve by the Tano River.
The Minerals Commission’s database also indicates that Unipower has seven additional applications at various stages of consideration.