Dr. Steve Manteaw, a co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), has cautioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government led by President John Dramani Mahama to be mindful of losing public goodwill over its handling of the fight against illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.
The civil society advocate believes the government’s action contradicts promises made while in opposition.
In a social media post on Wednesday, April 9, Dr. Manteaw described as appalling the decision to deport foreigners involved in galamsey rather than prosecute them.
“This is certainly not what Ghanaians bargained for. Mahama and the NDC should be careful not to lose the public goodwill so quickly. I’m appalled by this lackluster performance in combating the galamsey menace,” he wrote.
“Even more annoying is the decision to deport rather than jail foreigners who offend our laws.
“Are Ghanaian offenders less human than those foreigners who offend our laws with impunity?” he quizzed.
A new policy introduced by Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak, seeks to deport foreigners engaged in criminal activities, including illegal mining, instead of prosecuting them.
Speaking in Accra on Friday, April 4, the minister explained that the policy aims to swiftly remove foreign nationals who contribute to environmental destruction and other crimes in the country.
“When we arrest any foreigner, we are not interested in prosecuting. Our first option is to take them to their country. I have officially written to the Attorney General,” he said.
He added that individuals deported under this policy would be placed on a stop list, barring them from re-entering Ghana.
