The Minerals Commission has strongly refuted claims by Akonta Mining Limited that it possesses a valid mining lease outside the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. This clarification follows a press briefing held on April 21, 2025, by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in which the company was accused of engaging in illegal mining operations within the protected forest area.
A statement signed by the Deputy Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission Victoria Awuni, Esq
said according to official records from the Commission, Akonta was initially granted a reconnaissance licence on June 15, 2011, for a 135.87 square kilometre area in Samreboi—explicitly outside the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. That licence expired on June 14, 2012.
Subsequently, the company was issued a prospecting licence for the same area on December 31, 2012, which expired on December 30, 2014.
Under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), the maximum area permitted for a single mining lease is 63 square kilometres. Based on this, Akonta applied for three separate leases, which were granted on July 23, 2021, each with a 10-year duration. However, none of these leases are within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, and critically, they have not been ratified.
Furthermore, Akonta Mining does not hold any environmental or operating permits, which are mandatory for lawful mining operations.
The statement also revealed that Akonta once applied for a prospecting licence within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve but later withdrew the application. Instead, the company submitted a fresh application for a mining lease on August 25, 2022, to operate within the reserve. However, this lease application was never approved or signed by the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
In simple terms, Akonta has no legal lease, environmental permit, operating permit, or forest entry permit that would allow it to mine or conduct any activity in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve—or elsewhere, under lawful conditions.
The Minerals Commission reiterated that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources had already issued a public statement on September 30, 2022, confirming Akonta’s lack of mineral rights within the forest reserve.
Following recent investigations and a raid by security personnel, Akonta agents were found actively working within the coordinates of the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve—an area that remains the subject of the company’s yet-to-be-approved lease application.
Given the absence of all legally required documentation, the Commission has declared that any activity or mining operation conducted by Akonta Mining Limited—either within or outside the forest reserve—amounts to illegal mining.
The Commission emphasized that for any mining activity to be legally recognized, the following are required:
• A ratified mining lease
• An Environmental Permit from the EPA
• An Operating Permit from the Chief Inspector of Mines
• A Forest Entry Permit (for forest-based activities)
Without these, Akonta Mining’s operations are unlawful and subject to prosecution under Ghana’s mining laws.
Source: gbcghana
