Sir John had Chinese ‘gangs’ mining on his behalf

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has cited the late Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John), among the high-ranking members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Frimpong-Boateng report on the fight against illegal mining in Ghana. The report accused Mr. Owusu Afriyie’s Commission of intentionally failing to adopt the GalamStop app, which was launched to regulate forest industry agencies.

In his report, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, dated Friday, March 19, 2021, expressed his concern that the Forestry Commission did not migrate to the GalamStop platform.

He went on to criticize Sir John, as the former Forestry Commission CEO was commonly known, for actively distributing timber concessions, even in forest reserves designated for logging.

The report also revealed that Mr. Owusu Afriyie granted forestry entry permits to both large and small-scale mining companies, including those of foreign nationals, for prospecting activities, despite a ban on such activity.

The report further disclosed that through Charles Owusu, the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission, Mr. Owusu Afriyie had Chinese gangs mining on his behalf.

Professor Frimpong-Boateng recalled that during a meeting in the President’s conference room, he warned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo about the significant threat Sir John posed to Ghana’s forests.

The renowned heart surgeon also cited Mr. Owusu Afriyie for destroying forest reserves without the necessary permits through his mining activities, despite holding a senior position at the Forestry Commission.