Ghana Attorney General Urged to Prosecute All Galamsey Suspects

Private lawyer Godlove Adjei Tenkorang urged Ghana’s Attorney General to pursue every individual implicated in illegal small‑scale gold mining (galamsey), rather than focusing solely on high‑profile figures such as Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (known as Wontumi). He argued that selective prosecutions could undermine public confidence and called for impartial application of the law to all alleged perpetrators, including local officials.

The appeal comes against a backdrop of earlier judicial rulings on the issue. A 2019 High Court decision in Akonta Mining Company Ltd & 4 Others v Attorney General held that illegal mining licence holders cannot sue state agents intervening under environmental and public‑interest mandates. That case listed Chairman Wontumi among the plaintiffs and affirmed the courts’ support for anti‑galamsey actions, reinforcing the government’s legal stance on illegal mining.