By Issah Olegor
The fight against illegal mining—locally known as galamsey has taken a sharp political turn as Ghana’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, orders sweeping investigations into both ruling and opposition party officials accused of engaging in or enabling the illicit activity.
In a letter dated July 15, 2025, addressed to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Dr Ayine instructed the anti-corruption body to immediately begin investigations into two top National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives—National Organiser Joseph Yamin and Third Vice Chairman Yakubu Alhassan Abanga.
The directive also includes an expanded mandate to probe other individuals, including those named in the controversial 2023 “Frimpong-Boateng Report,” which linked several political elites—primarily from the New Patriotic Party (NPP)—to illegal mining operations. Interestingly, Frimpong Boateng’s son, Joojo was allegedly involved in galamsey as well.
The Attorney-General’s directive marks a bold departure from the previous government’s handling of the galamsey crisis.
Under the Akufo-Addo administration, the explosive report by former Environment Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng was shelved with no prosecutions, citing lack of evidence after it was refer to the police for investigation.
However, under President John Mahama’s “Reset Ghana Agenda,” the report has now been revived as a critical component of the EOCO investigation.
“The scope of this investigation should include the matters highlighted in Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report on illegal mining,” Dr Ayine emphasized in his letter to EOCO.
Names Behind the Galamsey
Among those under the microscope are Joseph Yamin and Yakubu Abanga of the NDC.
Several small-scale miners have accused the duo and a senior military officer, Colonel Tali of National Security Secretariat of backing an unauthorized anti-galamsey task force alleged to be extorting money and disrupting licensed mining operations.
Both men have denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Yakubu Abanga, speaking on TV3 on July 16, admitted to holding a mining concession but firmly denied any involvement in illegal mining or the formation of an extortionist task force.
“Yes, I have a mining concession, but I have no excavator working for me anywhere,” Abanga stated.
“I have never been involved in illegal mining. This is a malicious attempt to tarnish my reputation. If anyone proves otherwise, I will resign from my party position.”
His denial, however, hasn’t deterred EOCO from proceeding with its inquiries.
The AG’s directive instructs EOCO to treat the matter with urgency and collaborate with the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission to ensure access to regulatory data and concession records.
Reopening the Frimpong-Boateng Report
The Frimpong-Boateng Report, a 36-page document submitted to the Office of the President in March 2021, named several top NPP officials and government appointees as complicit in galamsey activities.
They include figures like Laud Commey, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, and the late Sir John, among others.
Despite the gravity of the allegations, then-Attorney General Godfred Dame dismissed the report in 2023, citing lack of evidence and describing it as a “catalogue of personal grievances.”
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, in response, accused the former government of shielding political elites and undermining the rule of law.
He insisted that the environmental destruction linked to illegal mining had been perpetuated by “people who have no conscience and love for the country.”
The new AG, Dr Ayine, appears determined to act where his predecessor did not.
His decision to revive the report signals a more aggressive stance in dealing with the entrenched galamsey networks that have destroyed forests, poisoned rivers, and eroded community livelihoods.
