The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has categorically refuted allegations suggesting the issuance of a mining lease for operations within the Effutu (Yenkum) forest in the Central Region, the sacred grounds of the Aboakyir Festival.
During a press conference held in Accra on Thursday, December 7, Minister Jinapor challenged those propagating the claim to present tangible evidence of the purported mining lease.
He asserted that the authenticity of a mining lease granted for a specific forest reserve is easily verifiable through the Minerals Commission’s website.
Minister Jinapor emphasized with clarity that there is unequivocally no mining lease granted for the Yenkum Forest reserve, where the Aboakyir Festival is celebrated.
He dismissed any assertions to the contrary as mere fabrications, urging individuals to verify information before making unfounded claims.
In a related development, the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, denounced the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in his constituency for disseminating false information about the alleged sale of the forest. Addressing the press in Parliament on December 5, Afenyo-Markin emphasized that the NDC’s claims were baseless, citing a statement from the Minerals Commission two years prior, which explicitly stated that no application for mining in the sacred forest had been received, let alone approved.
“A mining lease that has been granted in respect of a particular forest reserve is easily verifiable from the website of the Minerals Commission. So it is either a mining has been granted or a mining lease has not been granted. To that extent, let me be very emphatic and without a shred of equivocation indicate that there is no mining lease in respect of Yenkum Forest reserve which is where the Aboakyir takes place. So anybody who claims that there is a mining lease covering Yenkum forest reserves where Aboakyir takes place is a figment of the person’s imagination, it is not correct, it is not true, you can verify that.”
Afenyo-Markin urged his NDC counterparts to focus on addressing genuine challenges facing the community rather than engaging in misinformation and falsehoods.
He emphasized the importance of fostering a democratic environment through truthful and issue-based discussions.
Additionally, the Minerals Commission responded to concerns raised by traditional authorities in Effutu regarding the alleged grant of a mineral right for mining in the forest. The Commission asserted that it had not issued any permit for mining activities within the said forest, further corroborating Minister Jinapor’s stance on the matter.
“I simply want to state that this allegation is false, it is never true and in fact, the Minerals Commission, two years ago issued a statement to the effect that such an application has not even been received by them let alone approved for a company to mine lithium in that sacred forest where we haunt for dear during the Aboakyir Festival.
“I just want to set the record straight that there is no such thing. I will therefore want to urge my colleagues in the NDC to focus on the real changes facing our people so that we engage in an issue rather than polluting the minds of people, misinforming, and lying. such a practice does not help in democracy.”