The Minerals Commission has deleted crucial information about mining companies from its website after The Fourth Estate reported on how leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and government appointees had been granted concessions to mine and prospect in forest reserves.
The deleted information pertains to the ‘contact persons’ of mining companies and the political affiliations of applicants for mining leases. The Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, had referred to contact persons as “consultants” in an interview with The Fourth Estate. These individuals apply for mining licenses on behalf of mining companies and serve as the liaison between the mining industry regulator and the companies.
In a recent exposé, The Fourth Estate revealed that the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Juaben, Francis Owusu-Akyaw, serves as the contact person for at least 15 mining companies. Some of these companies, including his own, FJ Minerals Limited, have obtained mining licenses to operate or prospect in forest reserves across various regions in Ghana.
He also owns another company, DML Investment Limited. DML is the company through which Mr Owusu-Akyaw provides consultancy services for mining companies. On its website, the company touts its connections to the top hierarchy of the Minerals Commission as a competitive advantage.
“We have established key relationships with upper management at the Ghana Minerals Commission. These relationships have been instrumental in securing and operating concessions in the country,” it says.
When The Fourth Estate questioned Mr Ayisi about the relevance of knowing the political affiliations of individuals applying for mining leases in an earlier interview, he responded: “Sometimes it informs the kind of decision you should make.”
However, the Minerals Commission removed this crucial information from its website on the very day The Fourth Estate published its report.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Mr Ayisi, did not respond to The Fourth Estate’s enqiries regarding the reason for the deletion of the information
Source: Joynews
