Seized excavators missing – Hannah Bissiw-Kotei

Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw-Kotei, Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), has raised serious concerns about the disappearance of 33 excavators that were left in police custody after a recent anti-galamsey operation.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM, Dr. Bissiw-Kotei, who also serves as the National Women’s Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said that her team had handed over 40 excavators to the police for safekeeping. At the time, there were no lowbed trucks available to move the heavy machines from the illegal mining sites.

But shockingly, when her team returned the next morning, only seven excavators were still there.

“We handed over 40 excavators to the police, but when we returned the next morning, only seven were left. I spoke with the Police Commander about the incident because I was unhappy with it. Right now, the seven we managed to recover are being held,” she revealed.

She explained that the incident forced her to change tactics in her next operation at Atetem, another hotspot for illegal mining. She took along engineers, as well as a mix of uniformed and plainclothes police and military officers to ensure the operation went smoothly. She even wore body armor due to previous threats and ambushes her team had faced.

“So, during my next operation at Atetem, I went with engineers, as well as uniformed and plainclothes police and military officers. I also wore body armor because the last time we were ambushed and even came under fire. The engineers I brought along ensured that the excavators, which had trackers installed to prevent us from moving them, were successfully removed from the galamsey site,” she said.

Since taking over leadership of the Minerals Development Fund, Dr. Bissiw-Kotei has shown a strong commitment to protecting mining communities and tackling illegal mining head-on.

Her bold actions have drawn support from some, but also threats from those benefiting from galamsey operations.

The disappearance of the excavators under police watch is now raising questions about the level of complicity and highlights the growing challenge of enforcing anti-galamsey measures amid deep-rooted interests and corruption.

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