Traditional leaders in the Asante Mampong stool lands have issued warnings to people and groups that intend to engage in illicit mining inside and nearby.
Speaking on the current affairs and politics show GhanAkoma on Akoma FM last Monday, November 28, Her Royal Majesty Nana Agyakoma Dufie II, the queen mother of Asante Mampong, urged illegal miners who had planned to mine on and around her stool lands to reconsider their course of action.
Mampong is one of the few municipalities, according to Nana Agyakoma Dufie II, that have not seen a deterioration of the soil and water caused by illegal miners commonly known as "Galamseyers."
She told GhanAkoma host Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin that "we are very vigilant now, we will empower our anti-galamsey taskforce so nothing can happen on our blindsight".
"I am using your platform to caution them, anyone who tries, does so at his or her own risk if they know what is good for their descendants they shouldn’t dare try any illegal mining on our lands."
Nana Agyakoma Dufie II lamented that until 2014 Asante Mampong had been deprived of potable water for over 63 years "so, we won’t sit aloof for someone to sit in Accra and give directives to spoil our water bodies and degrade our lands".
"We the traditional authorities are very vigilant. We have already issued a press conference. In addition, I am leveraging on your platform to signal any interested individuals and organizations who dream to mine to forget because it will not happen over the dead bodies of me and my uncle Daasebre Osei Bonsu."
The warning from Nana Agyakoma Dufie II follows a notification from the Minerals Commission that was published on November 1, 2022, alerting people to outstanding mineral right applications. The Minerals Commission's rules must be followed, according to instructions published in the Gazette for landowners and occupiers.
To stop any plans to mine on or near the Asante Mampong stool lands, the Mampong Traditional Council, led by Daasebre Osei Bonsu and his queen, Nana Agyakoma Dufie II, wrote to the Minerals Commission.