Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has urged the public to disregard government-sponsored propaganda asserting that more than 1,000 mining licenses were granted by 2016.
Franklin Cudjoe pointed out that, as demonstrated by his colleague Bright Simons’ verified research, only 150 mining licenses were issued between 1988 and 2022.
He noted that, however, since 2022, over 1,400 licenses have been granted with little oversight and regulation.
Cudjoe stated that this significant surge is attributed to the fact that many of these licenses were awarded by influential politicians to their associates and allies, who have been allowed to mine recklessly without proper regulatory oversight.
“I don’t know where government folks are getting their wild mining license figures from to counter the mostly verified data that the government issued 1400 plus mining licenses between 2022 and now, without proper regulation, when between 1988 and 2022, only 150 licenses were granted”.
Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa
Furthermore, Franklin Cudjoe asserted that the government’s narrative claiming that Hon. Samuel Okuzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, lied about the number of mining licenses issued between 2022 and 2024 is entirely false.
He emphasized that the government has, in fact, issued significantly more licenses during this period than it did from the time of independence up to 2016.
Cudjoe urged the public to critically assess these misleading claims and to recognize the implications of such rapid license issuance on the mining sector, highlighting the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in the industry.
NDC Criticizes NPP for Misleading the Public on Mining Licenses
Moreover, Shamima Muslim of the NDC lamented that despite these incontrovertible facts showing that more licenses have been issued under the current NPP government than any previous administration, the NPP government and its communicators continue to misinform the public.
According to Muslim, this misinformation allows them to evade full responsibility for the troubling state of affairs facing the nation today.
“The NDC will strictly enforce the laws/regulations on mining in waterbodies; which means Zero tolerance on mining in waterbodies. When mining stops there will be a natural process of sediment settlement. This will be boosted with the application of State-of-the-art water treatment technology to clean our water bodies”
Shamima Muslim
The NDC stalwart stated that the party’s policy on the recategorization of mining into small, medium, and large scales aims to enhance regulatory efficiency.
Additionally, Shamima Muslim stated that the proposal includes utilizing technology, such as AI, to geofence mining equipment to specific concessions, thereby reducing human intervention in regulatory enforcement.
Furthermore, she indicated that the NDC will advocate for the immediate revocation of LI2462, among other measures aimed at improving the mining sector’s sustainability and accountability.
These initiatives, according to Muslim, are designed to ensure better compliance with regulations and protect the environment.
Ghana Fails in Fight Against Galamsey
Meanwhile, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Eduwatch Africa, stated that Ghana has completely failed in its fight against galamsey.
He emphasized that the persistent illegal mining activities are devastating the environment and undermining the country’s natural resources.
“I listened to the following disturbing submissions on illegal mining by the Minerals Commission boss in Parliament yesterday: If you refuse or delay in licensing them, they will still mine illegally, hence, better issue more licenses, so you can regulate; Whether you ban or not, they will still do the illegal mining since it’s their livelihood, so we must find them jobs before banning”.
Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Eduwatch Africa
Kofi Asare further questioned whether the same can be said for prostitution and narcotics, as these are also illegal sources of livelihood.
He argued that they harm society’s health, albeit to a lesser extent than issues like water poisoning and deforestation.“Can we say the state must first find jobs for all prostitutes or drug ‘pushers’ before arresting them?”
Accordingly, Asare indicated that such arguments serve as clear evidence of a seared conscience among the government and its agents.
As such, he stressed that Ghana has completely lost its way, highlighting that it is no surprise Afrobarometer found that 9 out of 10 Ghanaians believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.
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