Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a senior figure in Ghana's main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and chairman of its powerful Ashanti region branch, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour for illegal mining offences. A court in Accra found him guilty of assigning mineral rights without approval and facilitating unlicensed mining operations through his company, Akonta Mining — making him the first senior politician convicted under Ghana's crackdown on so-called "galamsey" (illegal artisanal gold mining) that has polluted vast stretches of the country's rivers and land since the campaign began in 2017. The NPP called the verdict politically motivated and said it would appeal, while environmental campaigners welcomed the ruling as a signal that powerful figures can be held accountable for one of Ghana's most damaging environmental problems.