Former MP accused of selling illegal mining concession to man who lost mining equipment to soldiers

Former Member of Parliament for Nkwanta, Joseph Albert Quarm, has been accused of selling an illegal mining concession to a man identified as Agya Owusu. Owusu, who claimed to have informed Quarm of the incident, said he was stopped by soldiers from mining on the site and his equipment was burnt because the concession was too close to a river.

Owusu said he has sent documents to Accra for authentication and will decide on the action to take against Quarm after that. The allegations against Quarm come after a report by former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, implicated him and other current and former MPs and government officials in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana.

In the report, Frimpong Boateng named Quarm as having used his position as a member of the Minerals Commission to acquire large-scale concessions for community mining purposes, which he then sold to private individuals, including party members, for GH¢200,000 per concession.

Quarm has firmly denied the allegations and called for Frimpong Boateng to produce evidence. He said the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources legally established community mining in his constituency and he was not sure if that was what Frimpong Boateng’s report had captured as illegal operations by him. Quarm has threatened legal action against Frimpong Boateng if he fails to retract and apologize for the report.

Illegal small-scale mining, or galamsey, has become a major issue in Ghana, with environmental degradation and health hazards being some of the negative consequences. The government has taken steps to address the problem, including the formation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, which has confiscated equipment and arrested those involved in illegal mining activities.

However, the issue persists, and some have accused government officials and influential individuals of protecting galamsey operations for their own gain. The accusations against Quarm and others in Frimpong Boateng’s report highlight the need for continued efforts to combat illegal mining in Ghana.

All in all, the allegations against Joseph Albert Quarm and other current and former MPs and government officials implicated in illegal small-scale mining in Ghana emphasize the need for continued efforts to combat the issue. The negative impact of galamsey on the environment and public health cannot be ignored, and those involved in such activities must be held accountable. While the government has taken steps to address the problem, more needs to be done to ensure that all those involved in illegal mining face consequences for their actions.