Franklin Cudjoe, founder and President of IMANI Africa, has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to deploy military personnel to combat illegal mining, also known as galamsey, calling it a “game of tricks, smokes and mirrors.” Cudjoe expressed his frustration on Channel One TV’s “The Big Issue” on Saturday, October 12, stating that similar operations in the past have yielded no positive results, despite millions of Ghana Cedi being spent.

Cudjoe questioned the effectiveness of deploying over 100 armed military personnel to various water bodies, suggesting that it’s a superficial solution. He emphasized that almost 70% of Ghana’s rivers are polluted, and the government’s efforts seem like “two steps forward, four steps backwards.” Cudjoe also criticized the government’s call for collective efforts to fight galamsey, wondering why citizens should join forces when the president had previously promised to take bold action.

Cudjoe’s comments come after President Akufo-Addo instructed the Defence Minister to deploy additional military personnel to reinforce the government’s efforts to combat galamsey. However, Cudjoe remains skeptical about the government’s approach, emphasizing that meaningful action, not just symbolic gestures, is needed to address this critical issue.