It remains to be seen, what steps the government will take after the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, publicly lamented that illegal miners had overran a gold prospecting concession belonging to him.

He revealed that unauthorized mining was taking place on the concession without his knowledge, raising serious questions about who is responsible for the environmental destruction from the illegal mining operations which have devastated the banks of the Tano River.

“I have heard that the concession Ayisi [former chief executive of the Minerals Commission] granted me has been overrun by illegal (galamsey) miners. But I don’t even know the place,” he said on February 14, 2025, when the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, visited him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

“The concession was given to me, and I intended to develop it, only to hear that illegal miners had taken over,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu said. “If I am accused of engaging in galamsey as a traditional ruler, what can I say when I do not even know where the place is?”

His remarks have brought The Fourth Estate’s scrutiny to Bodukwan Holding Company Limited, the entity holding the concession, and its links to the Manhyia Palace. Investigations by The Fourth Estate suggest that despite having only a prospecting license, extensive mining has taken place on the concession, raising legal and environmental concerns.

Bodukwan Holding Company Limited applied for a prospecting license on June 2, 2023, to explore for gold in Moseaso, Odumase in the Western Region. Six months later, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources approved the request, granting the company three years to conduct exploration over an area the size of 250 football pitches. A significant portion of this concession overlaps with the Tano River, a key water source for communities in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Prospecting licenses allow companies to conduct preliminary exploration but do not permit mining activities. Yet, satellite imagery reviewed by The Fourth Estate reveals widespread mining on the concession – evidence that illegal operations are taking place on the concession.

Environmental degradation and legal violations

Ghana’s mining laws prohibit activities that degrade the environment, particularly near water bodies. While the law does not explicitly require a 100-meter buffer zone, both the Minerals Commission and Water Resources Commission have advised that mining should not take place within this range to prevent pollution. In 2021, the government declared riverbanks no-go areas for mining, a directive emphasized by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo and former Lands Minister, Samuel Jinapor.

Despite these restrictions, The Fourth Estate found that Bodukwan Holding lacks key regulatory approvals, including an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit and a Water Use Permit from the Water Resources Commission (WRC). The Minerals Commission has also refused to provide a list of companies with operating permits, making it difficult to verify Bodukwan’s compliance status.

Who owns Bodukwan Holding?

Incorporation records from the Office of the Registrar of Companies show that Bodukwan Holding is closely linked to Manhyia Palace. The company’s beneficial owner, Nana Duah Bonsu, serves as a co-director alongside Mujeeb Rahman Ahmed, a lawyer for Manhyia Palace, and Julia Ama Adwapa Amaning, widely known as Lady Julia, the wife of the Asantehene.

Beyond its mining interests, Bodukwan Holding is also the parent company of the Bodukwan Multifruit Processing Factory, which processes mangoes from its farms in the Nkoranza North District.

When contacted, Mujeeb Rahman Ahmed denied any involvement in illegal mining. He insisted that Bodukwan Holding had not begun operations at its site near Bibiani, let alone engaged in mining. This was before the Asantehene’s recent public remarks about the invasion of illegal miners on the concession.

“If anyone is there, we need to deal with them,” Mr. Rahman told The Fourth Estate. “We have no knowledge of any such activity. If someone is mining in our name, it is wrong. We are not aware of it.”

Who could be responsible?

Environmental activists argue that once a company obtains a concession, it is legally responsible for protecting it from illegal mining. Kwaku Afriyie, Technical Director of WACAM, an environmental advocacy group, maintains that if mining is taking place on a concession with only a prospecting lease, then the company is in breach of the law. He stressed that companies are required to report illegal activities to the Minerals Commission and security agencies and are responsible for securing their own land.

Under Article 18 of the Constitution, Mr. Afriyie noted, every individual has the right to protect their property. He also pointed out that if a company remains silent while its land is used for illegal mining, it raises questions about whether it is benefiting from the activity or is simply being negligent.

His concerns were echoed by Sandow Ali, Director of Mining at the EPA, who emphasized that companies cannot operate without securing four essential permits: a license from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, an EPA permit, an operating permit from the Minerals Commission, and a water use permit from the Water Resources Commission. He made it clear that obtaining a ministerial license alone does not grant the right to begin mining and that any activity without the full set of approvals is illegal.

Will the government intervene?

With clear evidence of mining activity on Bodukwan’s concession and a lack of regulatory compliance, the question remains: will the government take action? The Asantehene’s frustration highlights the broader challenge of illegal mining in a country where even high-profile concessions are not spared from galamsey operations.