Aren’t you afraid of me? – What Wontumi said about being targeted by a Mahama government

Following recent regulatory actions against Akonta Mining, a company owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, a video of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) reacting to the possibility of his business being targeted by a future government of the National Democratic Congress, led by John Dramani Mahama, has resurfaced.

The video, from an interview granted by the regional chairman during the 2024 campaign season, shows Wontumi asserting that President Mahama’s personal dislike for him cannot determine his success or failure as a businessman.

According to Wontumi, his business suffered targeted attacks during a previous tenure of John Mahama and the NDC, which he survived.

“Your liking or dislike cannot determine my success in life. Me, Wontumi, in 2013, you collapsed my business; you seized my 500 excavators and 400 pickups,” he stated.

He stated that his ability to have survived such an ordeal should be a caution to John Mahama in picking on him, considering factors such as his influence.

“John Mahama, aren’t you even afraid? Are you not afraid that after everything you did to me, I am still holding on to my captaincy?…

“To say that you will collapse Akonta Mining if you come to power. Don’t you even fear me? Even when you were president, national security had to negotiate with me before you entered [the Ashanti Region]. Do you think Wontumi is a small team? I dare them. If they do one, I will do two. If you want to scare someone, should that be Wontumi? Let’s face off with your soldiers behind you and see if you can challenge me,” he added.

He also emphasised that as a businessman with years of experience, his activities are duly registered and licensed, refuting allegations of engaging in illegal mining.

“What is the difference between illegal and legal [mining]? The difference is a document. So, as a veteran miner, I don’t know how to get documents?” he questioned.

Beaming with confidence, Wontumi stressed that the NDC and John Mahama would lose the 2024 Election, rendering any plot to collapse his business moot.

Background

Akonta Mining Limited, owned by Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of Ghana’s New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been embroiled in regulatory challenges over allegations of illegal mining, or “galamsey.”

The company has faced scrutiny since 2022 for reportedly operating without a valid license in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, prompting the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to order a halt of its activities in October of that year.

Despite President Nana Akufo-Addo’s 2023 claim that Akonta Mining was not involved in illegal operations, the company has remained a focal point in Ghana’s fight against galamsey, which has caused widespread environmental damage.

The John Dramani Mahama administration has recently escalated action against Akonta Mining, revoking its license following fresh allegations of illegal activities.

On April 21, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced that a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission uncovered six illegal mining sites linked to the company in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

Buah accused Akonta Mining of operating as a “criminal syndicate,” allegedly selling mining concessions in the Aboi Forest Reserve for up to GH¢300,000 each, further intensifying public and political scrutiny of the company’s operations.

Wontumi has denied the allegations, asserting that Akonta Mining has been inactive since its license was suspended in 2023 and claiming the revocation is a politically-motivated attack by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to derail his candidacy for NPP National Chairman.

He has accused Minister Buah of fabricating evidence by planting illegal miners’ equipment at the company’s site and vowed to sue for defamation.

GA/AE