A senior National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, Isham Alhassan has dismissed allegations that Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene is involved in illegal mining, describing the claims as “baseless” and politically motivated.
Isham Alhassan, the NDC’s Ashanti Regional Organiser, told reporters in Kumasi that he had reviewed the accusations upon returning from an official trip abroad and found no evidence to support them.
“The allegations are unfounded,” Alhassan said. “Anyone with evidence should come forward. I am prepared to resign immediately if such evidence exists.”
Strong stance
He said Amoakohene had taken a strong public stance against illegal mining — known locally as galamsey — and pointed to the minister’s interventions in disputes involving mining companies and his public warnings to foreign nationals accused of breaching Ghana’s mining laws.
Alhassan added that Amoakohene had been involved in efforts to reclaim degraded lands and forest reserves in the Ashanti Region, insisting that attempts to link him to galamsey were aimed at damaging his reputation.
He also urged members of the NDC to refrain from what he called internal attempts to undermine the minister, describing him as “a young leader with a promising political future.”
Alhassan called on the public to disregard the allegations and said the minister was willing to cooperate with any formal investigation.
Background
Mr Alhassan’s reaction comes after the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) picked up a leading member of civil society group Democracy Hub, after a petition to the police to investigate allegations of illegal mining levelled against three regional ministers.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ghana Police Service said suspect Wendell Nana Yaw Yeboah had been arrested after a petition was filed by Mr. Daniel Sasu Omari and two others, acting on behalf of the Ashanti, Eastern and Western Regional Ministers.
Police added that Yeboah is in custody and is expected to be arraigned today Thursday, 27 November 2025.
Yeboah, who serves as Head of Mobilisation at Democracy Hub, had publicly alleged that the three ministers were complicit in illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
The claims drew sharp reactions from government circles, prompting the formal petition for a criminal probe.
Democracy Hub’s convenor, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, earlier said that the activist’s arrest was politically motivated and carried out “on the orders of the Government”.
The police statement did not address the substance of the galamsey allegations but confirmed the arrest as part of ongoing investigations triggered by the petition.
Illegal mining remains one of Ghana’s most pressing environmental and political issues, frequently putting civil society actors on a collision course with authorities.