{"id":3039,"date":"2026-10-27T21:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T21:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/?p=3039"},"modified":"2026-10-27T21:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T21:36:11","slug":"atwima-mponua-dce-grilled-over-galamsey-as-chair-questions-enforcement-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/index.php\/atwima-mponua-dce-grilled-over-galamsey-as-chair-questions-enforcement-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Atwima Mponua DCE Grilled Over Galamsey as Chair Questions Enforcement Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Clement Sena Akoloh<\/strong> – parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Ibrahim Issak, has faced tough questioning from Members of Parliament over the persistence of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey<\/em>, in the district.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appearing before Parliament\u2019s Local Government and Rural Development Committee, the DCE was pressed on whether illegal mining was still taking place in the district and what measures the Assembly was taking to stop the activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Issak declined to give a definite yes-or-no answer but disclosed that a suspected illegal miner had been arrested two days earlier following a tip-off from residents about mining activities within a water body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was told by the community that somebody is mining within the water body, quickly I asked the police commander to move in. The police made the arrest,\u201d he told the committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DCE said the Assembly had established a mining task force that conducts operations in protected areas, including water bodies and forest reserves, to clamp down on illegal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair questions reliance on reports to tackle galamsey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked how many suspected illegal miners had been prosecuted this year, Mr Issak explained that the Minerals Commission led the prosecution process and notified the Assembly and police when illegal mining activities were identified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His explanation, however, did not satisfy the committee\u2019s Chairperson, who questioned why the head of the District Security Council (DISEC) appeared to depend on external reports before taking action against illegal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are head of DISEC. People move in with equipment at night. Are you telling us you don’t see the equipment going in? You are telling us somebody has to come and report to you before you act?\u201d the Chairperson queried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson\u2019s concerns centred on the district\u2019s capacity to proactively detect and prevent illegal mining, rather than relying primarily on tip-offs or information from the Minerals Commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Issak maintained that the Assembly responded to reports of illegal mining and that its task force was actively working to address the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange highlighted questions about the effectiveness of local security coordination and enforcement mechanisms in protecting water bodies and forest reserves from illegal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DCE clarifies office accommodation concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DCE also addressed concerns about office accommodation raised in the district\u2019s audit report, which indicated that the Assembly had no office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Issak clarified that, although the report identified the absence of a permanent office structure, funds had been allocated and the district currently operated from a dedicated space while efforts continued towards securing a permanent facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parliament examines local government accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accountability session forms part of public hearings organised by Parliament\u2019s Committee on Local Government and Rural Development from October 5 to 30, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hearings are examining the 2025 annual statements of audit committees under the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Regional Coordinating Councils, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exercise is intended to assess audit committee activities and strengthen accountability, financial oversight and administrative practices across local government institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Ibrahim Issak, has faced tough questioning from Members of Parliament over the persistence of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, in the district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,1],"tags":[1812,1815,408,1814,1728,193,494],"class_list":{"0":"post-3039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-news","8":"category-news","9":"tag-atwima-mponua-district","10":"tag-disec","11":"tag-galamsey","12":"tag-hon-ibrahim-issak-atwima-mponua-dce","13":"tag-local-government-and-rural-development-committee","14":"tag-parliament-of-ghana","15":"tag-parliamentnews360-com"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n