Press Release Regarding Professor Frimpong-Bateng's "Report"
The Office of the President has been made aware of a media report purporting to quote from a paper written by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a former minister for environment, science, technology, and innovation and chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), that purportedly accuses some government appointees of wrongdoing in the fight against Galamsey.
It must be made clear right away that the material under discussion was not an official report that was formally submitted to the President's Office. Instead, it can only be accurately described as a list of Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's complaints and assertions made in response to some of the problems he encountered.
On March 19, 2021, at a casual meeting when the paper was presented to the Chief of Staff in the President's Office, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng voiced his complaints about the public criticisms and assaults leveled against his term as the IMCIM Chairperson.
This came about after the second-term President of the Republic decided not to extend Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's term as Minister.
The paper was not sent to the Chief of Staff for action, as shown by the lack of a transmittal, cover letter, or addressee. Notably, the IMCIM was a creation of Cabinet, and any official report on its operations would typically be given to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary or directly to the President.
It is crucial to note that, despite the serious allegations made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng against some government appointees regarding their involvement in, support of, or interference with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was offered or presented to support the claims.
The accusations made in the paper are, in fact, at best hearsay. It is interesting that Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done nothing to further the issues raised in the letter since his meeting with the Chief of Staff in March 2021.
Unquestionably, the President is committed to combating illicit mining, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on such operations that would serve as a solid foundation for investigations.
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