The Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has revealed that investigations into levies allegedly imposed on galamsey operators in Amansie Central are almost complete, with results expected this week.

Speaking on the JoyNews News Desk programme, he said the probe had made significant progress.

“We have come very far. The matter is yet to be thoroughly concluded, but it is far advanced now. I think we’ve been able to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s because we took the response of the assembly into account,” he explained.

He noted that the assembly in question defended the levies, stating that “these charges and these levies have long existed and that it wasn’t a new development.”

Commenting on the report, Mr Schandorf said:

“In the exposé that was shown to the whole country, the investigators posed as illegal miners, not legal miners. And so the elephant in the room, and the question to be addressed, is that even if it’s an age-old levy that you have been charging, these people who came to you posed as illegal miners—why then did you interact with them?”

He indicated that the ministry expects the investigation to conclude by the end of the week, after which full details of any sanctions and reforms will be made public.

“Closure will be put on that by the close of the week. I’m sure when we are done, we’ll put out the fine details on the relevant sanctions, if any, and the reforms that have to be instituted to kill the matter. Of course, across all other assemblies and districts, because apparently these charges are actually spread to other jurisdictions as well, so by the close of the week, we should have closure on this matter,” he added.

Mr Schandorf emphasised that the outcome could have implications beyond the assembly under scrutiny, potentially affecting other districts where similar levies are applied.

Documentary Exposes Systematic “Taxation” of Illegal Mining

A Tax for Galamsey, a Hotline Documentary, exposes how illegal mining in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region is no longer merely tolerated but systematically taxed, receipted, and protected by government appointees.

The documentary reveals that illegal miners are compelled to pay fixed “registration” fees—₵3,000 per changfan machine and tens of thousands of cedis per excavator—in exchange for uninterrupted operations.

Payments are formalised with stickers, receipts, and bank deposits into official Assembly accounts, effectively transforming environmental crime into a structured revenue stream.