Wontumi Trial: Ex Deputy Lands Minister says concessionaires were encouraged to reclaim degraded mining lands

George Mireku Duker, former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, informed the High Court that land reclamation activities undertaken on mining concessions amount to mine support services and therefore do not require the same level of ministerial consent as the assignment or transfer of mineral rights under Ghana's Minerals and Mining Act. He testified as the second defence witness for Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, in the Samreboi illegal mining case. Duker clarified that Section 14 of Act 703 is expressly concerned with the transfer, assignment, mortgage, or any other dealings in mineral rights, all of which necessitate prior written approval from the sector minister. He said, "A concessionaire without permit has no right to mine," insisting that mine support services do not invoke Section 14 of Act 703.

The prosecution maintains that Mr. Antwi-Boasiako, known as Wontumi, unlawfully permitted PW2, Henry Okoom, and another individual to carry out mining operations on Akonta Mining's concession at Samreboi without the requisite statutory approval. The prosecution's case rests on assertions by PW2 that his engagement extended beyond mere reclamation to active mining. Duker said that during his tenure between 2021 and 2024, concession holders were routinely encouraged by the ministry to undertake reclamation and environmental restoration works. He conceded that he had never met PW2, Henry Okoom, nor seen him in the company of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako.

Duker admitted that no written authorisation for reclamation activities ever came to his attention during his tenure in office. He referred to a separate interaction during a ministry awards programme, where Wontumi allegedly stated that he had invested in coconut plantations and reclamation works on degraded sections of the concession. The prosecution noted that the allegation against **Bernard