Franklin Cudjoe, founder and President of IMANI Africa, has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to deploy military personnel to curb illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. Cudjoe argued that the government has spent millions of Ghana Cedi on similar operations in the past, yet these efforts have not produced meaningful results.
On October 10, the government deployed over 100 armed military personnel to various water bodies in a renewed attempt to combat galamsey. However, in an interview on The Big Issue on Channel One TV, Cudjoe dismissed the move as ineffective, likening it to “a game of tricks, smokes, and mirrors.” He expressed doubt that such military interventions would solve the problem, pointing out that similar strategies have been tried before without success.
Cudjoe also criticized the government’s call for collective efforts in the fight against galamsey. He questioned why citizens are being asked to contribute to a problem that the government had vowed to resolve when seeking votes, noting that President Akufo-Addo had even promised to put his presidency on the line to end galamsey. Cudjoe expressed frustration, stating that if the president was truly serious about addressing the issue, he would have taken more decisive action, especially during his recent engagements with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).