The former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) says he is still available to help the government address the illegal mining menace. 

Prof Frimpong-Boateng says he is ready and willing to offer his ideas to the government if needed. 

According to the cardiologist, galamsey is a big problem for the country and should be dealt with seriously.

However, the surgeon said he does not want to continue discussing his controversial galamsey report. 

“I don’t want to continue on that trajectory. The public can discuss it but I don’t want to be seen to be talking about the report. I am a very serious person, I want a targeted approach to solving this problem so if there is a committee and my ideas are still needed, I am still a Ghanaian and I really want this menace to be put aside," he said in an interview with TV3 on Monday. 

Professor Frimpong-Boateng had earlier cited persons in government who he accuses of frustrating the fight against the menace when he was Environment Minister.

“Throughout our struggle with illegalities in the small-scale mining sector, what baffled me was the total disregard of the President’s commitment to protecting the environment.

“I can state without any equivocation that many party officials from the national to the unit committee level had their friends, PAs, agents, relatives, financiers, or relatives engaged in illegal mining. Most of them engaged Chinese working for them. 

“I am not referring to party people who had their legitimate concession and were mining sustainably as they were instructed to do.

“There are appointees in the Jubilee House that are doing or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace,” excerpts of the document said.

While some of the persons he mentioned in the report have denied any wrongdoing, many in the public believe the galamsey fight is a lost cause.

Meanwhile, at least one of the persons he accused of frustrating the fight against galamsey has sued him for defamation.