Convenor for the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Dr Ken Ashigbey, is not pleased with the delay in prosecuting officials of Akonta Mining involved in illegal mining in forest reserves.

His comments come in response to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, who stated that the police are still investigating the mining activities in the forest reserve.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on September 4, Mr. Jinapor said the report was no longer on his table, and the police were already investigating the incident.

However, Dr Ashigbey argues that there is enough evidence to prosecute all those involved, and he does not understand why, after almost two years, nothing appears to be happening.

“How is that assuring? That after 2 years it takes forever for us to declare whether the Director of Akonta Mining did not commit an illegality when they were found mining in the Tano Forest Reserve.

"When there is footage to show that even the buffer between the Tano River they were actually mining there," he quizzed.

He stressed that there is a need to be honest about illegal mining activities rather than tiptoeing around the problem.

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"We are hoping that the Director General of CID by this time should be issuing out the statement and the president should be interested in that particular one," he added.

Although the Lands Minister said the government would soon deploy law enforcement agencies to target areas with rising illegal mining activities, with a special focus on the Central Region, Mr. Ashigbey stated that more needs to be done.

He explained that galamsey is a national crisis that must be tackled locally.