Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has disputed claims being made by persons he describes as “the NDC” in his constituency regarding the lease of a portion of a sacred forest for the mining of lithium.
Thousands of Effutu residents on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, took to the streets of Winneba to demonstrate against the reported lease of some portions of the forest reserve in to a mining firm, Green Metals Resources Limited.
It was a solidarity procession for the calls by the traditional councils of Effutu and Gomoa against the purported agreement.
The 3-hour-long demonstration began from the Sankor Junction, went through the entire Old Winneba town with leaders pouring libation to invoke the gods of Effutu against those behind what they described as raw deals.
This is the forest where deer is hunted for the Aboakyir Festival celebrated by the Effutu people.
But reacting to the development, the MP, Afenyo-Markin, who says the demonstration was orchestrated by the opposition National Democratic Congress in his constituency said no such agreement has been reached by the government and any private firm to mine in the forest.
The Mineral Commission, he indicated, has issued a statement denying such allegations and has asked Ghanaians to disregard the claims.
“I simply want to say that this allegation is false. It’s never true and in fact the Minerals Commission two years ago issued a statement to the effect that such an application has not even be received by them, let alone approving for a company to mine lithium where we hunt for deer during the Aboakyir festival,” he told the media in Parliament Tuesday, December 5.
He entreated the NDC to focus on issues that bother on the progress of Effutu rather than resorting to unfounded allegations that, he, the MP, has sat aloof for their sacred forest to be leased out for mining.
“I would therefore want to urge my colleagues in the NDC to focus on the real challenges facing our people so that we engage on issues rather than polluting the minds of people, misinforming and lying. Such a practice does not help in democracy.
“This morning I’m reliably informed that the Minerals Commission Chief Executive in a national dialogue, had had cause to again reiterate that that which is being put out there by the NDC in Effutu is unfounded and he as the Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission hasn’t signed any lease agreement for the purposes of mining of lithium in that enclave where we hunt for deer,” he indicated.
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