Suspension of Maxam Ltd not equivalent to being guilty in Appiatse explosion – Lands Minister
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, says the suspension of Maxam’s operational license ahead of investigations into the Appiatse explosion does not mean the company is guilty of the incident.
His assertion comes at the back of his directive to the CEO of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, to interdict the Chief Inspector of Mines, Richard Kofi Adjej and suspend the license of Maxam Conpany Limited, the firm whose truck was involved in the Appiatse explosion.
The Minister in a press statement dated 21 January 2022, directed that the operational activities of Maxam Company Limited – the company believed to be the transporter of the explosives that caused the Appiatse explosion – be suspended by the Minerals Commission.
“Further, the Hon. Minister (Samuel Jinapor) has directed the CEO of the Minerals Commission with immediate effect, to suspend the registration of Maxam Company Limited with the Minerals Commission.
“Thereby precluding the company from the manufacture, transportation and /or supply of explosives for mining operations, pending the outcome of the investigations into this matter,” read parts of the statement issued by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
Additionally, the statement noted that, the Chief Inspector of Mines at the Minerals Commission, Kofi Adjei, has been interdicted with immediate effect pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Providing the rationale behind his directive on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr Jinapor explained that to ensure a credible investigation, Maxam Company and Mr Richard Kofi Adjei have to step aside as both parties are at the centre of the exercise.
“It is just proper for the investigation and for the internal investigations of the Mineral Commission that the Chief Inspector steps aside in order for these investigations to be one that will be credible.
“If you look at the law, the one who is directly responsible, if he (Kofi Adjei) is at post, I don’t know how credible the investigations will be. So it is just the right thing to do. Then you have this company which is at the centre of this situation. You don’t preclude the company from continuing its business of manufacturing and transporting explosives.”
According to Mr Jinapor, his directive does not assert that Mr Kofi Adjei and Maxam Company are to blame for the unfortunate incident that occurred at Appiatse on Thursday.
“Let me point out that this directive of mine by no means suggests that the Chief Inspector is guilty of any wrongdoing or is culpable. That should not be the conclusion to be drawn,” he stated.
Interacting with host, Samson Lardy Anyenini, Mr Jinapor further revealed that the protocols of Maxam Company have not been perused yet and to ensure a similar incident involving the company does not recur, its operation must be suspended so as not to drag the image of government in the mud.
“We have not had the opportunity to interrogate their protocols yet and to conclude the investigation. God forbid, if we wake up tomorrow and we are told transportation of explosives by this same company in another part of the country has resulted in a similar tragic event, what will that tell of the managers of the country?
“That will tell a very bad story of us and smack of bad judgment so I think that in the interim, while the investigations are ongoing, it is proper this company is precluded from the business that has resulted in this tragic incident. These are the fundamental reasoning that precipitated this action.”
Meanwhile, Chief Executive of the Africa Institute of Extractive, Dr. Toni Aubynn, says tougher sanctions could be taken against Maxam Company Ltd if safety was comprised.
“They have been very careful importing these explosives, I don’t know exactly what happened, why this occurred and why it occur at where it occurred. It is something that needs to be investigated and if there were short comings they must be brought to book.
“If it was just an accident, yes, it was terrible but it was not intended. But if it was an act of negligence, there must be some action”, he said.
Meanwhile, Chirano Gold Mines Limited has clarified that they are not directly involved in the explosion of the mining explosives at Appiatse which has claimed 17 lives and injured 59 others.
According to the company, they were neither the handlers nor transporters of the materials which caused the unfortunate incident.
Speaking in an interview, Communications Officer of the Chirano Gold Mines, Kwabena Owusu-Ampratwum, however, admitted that they were the recipients of the materials which were being supplied by one of their suppliers.
According to the Communications Officer, the transportation and handling of the materials are the responsibility of the suppliers and not the company.
“It wasn’t Chirano Mines that was transporting the explosives or handling the materials. It were goods that our suppliers were transporting to be supplied to us. It was one of our suppliers who was bringing the materials but unfortunately got involved in an accident. So the transportation and handling of the explosives were being done by the supplier,” Kwabena-Owusu Ampratwum explained.
