Some of the notable Ghanaians who have slamed govt over decition to only deport foreign galamseyers
The supposed decision by the John Dramani Mahama government not to prosecute foreigners who are caught engaging in illegal mining (galamsey) has attracted a lot of criticisms from the public.
The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, recently announced the government’s decision to deport foreigners involved in illegal mining from the country as part of strict punitive measures to be enforced against them.
This announcement was corroborated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who said that foreigners caught engaging in illegal mining will face immediate deportation.
The remarks of the two men have led to a faction of the public concluding that the Cabinet of John Dramani Mahama has decided to ‘free’ foreigners who engage in galamsey, which is destroying the country’s natural resources, while it prosecutes Ghanaians caught engaging in the menace.
Here are some Ghanaians who have called out the government over its supposed decision:
Kwaku Azar:
Renowned US-based Ghanaian lawyer and scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, widely known as Kwaku Azar, is one of the notable Ghanaians who has criticised the John Dramani Mahama government over its decision to deport foreigners who are caught engaging in galamsey in Ghana.
In a post shared on Facebook on April 7, 2025, Kwaku Azar said that the government must prosecute foreign illegal miners (galamseyers) who are caught engaging in the menace.
He made the point that the government must not only prosecute the foreign galamseyers, but must also force them to repair the damage they have caused to the country’s natural resources.
He added that deporting foreigners who engage in galamsey is tantamount to giving them a “free ride” to their home countries.
“Prosecute them, jail them, seize their assets, and compel them to restore the damaged land. Deportation is a free ride home,” the academic wrote.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor:
Lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has also criticised the government over the move to deport foreign illegal miners.
In a post shared on X on April 8, 2025, he said that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) criticised the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government when they made the same proposal, but they are now doing the same.
“In essence, our government – Cabinet, I presume – has resolved that for only galamsey we have as a matter of policy given foreigners complete immunity for violating our laws.
“Yet the NDC heavily criticised Osafo-Marfo when he made the same nonsense proposal. What at all has gold done to our senses as a people? Has galamsey cursed us and our elites?” he wrote.
Dr Cadman Atta Mills:
Dr Cadman Atta Mills, brother of the late former President John Evans Atta Mills, has also criticised the move.
He described the decision to only deport foreign illegal miners as unconscionable, saying, “No, prosecuting foreigners is insane!”
Dr Atta Mills made the point that illegal miners who are only deported will simply come back with new passports.
“Please prosecute them, let them serve their full sentences in our luxurious prisons and then deport them! If you simply deport them, they come back under new names and new passports,” he said.
Dr Kenneth Ashigbey:
Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, the Convener of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, has also strongly criticised the government’s deportation policy.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV, Dr Ashigbey expressed shock at the government’s decision to only deport foreigners who engage in galamsey.
He asserted that the decision to deport the foreign galamseyers is even illegal.
“If a minister looks in the face of the law, and unfortunately he was talking to the police who are also supposed to be enforcing the law, you would have hoped that somebody in that room should have told the minister that the policy is illegal,” he said.
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