Former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has criticised former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, over his recent comments regarding the missing drones intended for anti-galamsey operations.
This follows Mr Jinapor’s denial of any knowledge concerning the whereabouts of the drones, stating that they were not handed over to him.
He further suggested that the leadership of the now-defunct IMCIM should be held accountable for the missing equipment.
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However, responding in an interview with 3FM, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng dismissed the remarks as unnecessary.
He clarified:
It is true that the Committee procured some drones, but they were not many. Those drones were handed over to Operation Vanguard and the District Mining Committees, and the records are available. When the Committee was dissolved, National Security took over the office.
He continued:
Again, we can verify with Operation Vanguard and all the district committees responsible for the drones. But as far as I know, I believe a significant portion of the drones were purchased by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources itself.
When asked whether the drones proved effective in combating illegal mining (galamsey), Prof. Frimpong-Boateng revealed instances of alleged sabotage:
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In some ways, they were helpful. However, there were cases of sabotage. For instance, some districts deliberately crashed their drones. They would deploy a drone and report that it had gone missing or crashed into a tree, making it difficult to monitor activities from Accra.
The drones, valued at US$3 million, were acquired in 2018 under the tenure of then Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John-Peter Amewu.
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