MP Vows to Resign if Proven Guilty of Galamsey

George Kwame Aboagye, the Member of Parliament for the Asene-Akroso-Manso constituency, has denied any involvement in illegal mining or galamsey, despite being named in Professor Frimpong-Boateng's report on the issue.

Aboagye stated that although his company buys gold from miners, they do not engage in any illegal activities. He went on to say that before he became an MP, he was involved in the gold business, buying and exporting gold, and that his company also helped small-scale miners to mine properly. Aboagye said that he was surprised to be mentioned in the report, as he does not own a mining concession.

Aboagye did admit that people close to him own mining concessions, but he maintained that they are not engaged in illegal mining. He has called for an investigation into the report and stated that he would resign if evidence proved he was involved in illegal mining.

Steve Manteaw, the Co-Chairman of Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiatives, has also called for an independent Commission of Enquiry to investigate the report's allegations. Manteaw stated that illegal mining became worse after the country invested money in the oil and mineral sector to fight illegalities.

He also said that he was not surprised by the allegations made in Professor Frimpong-Boateng's report, as they were already known through their research with the World Bank.