The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, appeared to have been on the hot seat, at a point, during an interview on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, hosted by Bernard Avle.
During the interview, the minister, known for his vocal stance against galamsey under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, and notably for proposing several anti-mining measures, was questioned on why his current government under the NDC had not implemented most of the measures he had previously advocated in the fight against illegal mining.
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Listing the proposed measures, Avle mentioned some of Ablakwa’s recommendations, including the dismissal of all regional ministers who had failed to prevent galamsey activities in their capacities as chairs of their respective regional security councils, among others.
Avle stated too that out of all the measures proposed by Ablakwa, the current government had implemented only three.
“You listed 15 things you said Akufo-Addo could do to fight galamsey. I don’t have time to read all. I can only see about three that this government has done.
… Sack all regional ministers who have failed to prevent galamsey as chairs of their respective regional security councils, sack all MMDCEs who have failed to stop galamsey as heads of their respective municipal assemblies, reshuffle ministers responsible for lands and natural resources, environment, science and technology.
“Recall all police commanders and national security operatives, impose a five-year ban on all forms of small-scale mining, deploy the armed forces to protect our river bodies, immediately stop the issuance of new mining licenses, carry out a shake-up in Ghana’s embassy in China, launch an aggressive scientific Green Ghana campaign, provide free comprehensive medical screening and treatment for all Ghanaians affected by galamsey, hefty fines on small-scale mining companies, and a lot of things. I’m not even sure 20% of this has been done by this government,” the host quizzed Okudzeto Ablakwa.
In response, Ablakwa expressed confidence that the proposals he had made would eventually be adopted and implemented by the government.
He went on to say that he believes the fight against galamsey could be handled much better than it is currently being handled.
“We are about nine months in office. I’m confident that these things will be done. Some of them have been done already. About 44 forests have been reclaimed and let me be very honest with you that on galamsey, I believe that we can do better and all of these propositions I made in the past, I still stand by them,” he said.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa further suggested the need for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to be established for regions prone to illegal mining activities.
Referencing the KPIs given to Ghana’s envoys, he added that appointees responsible for these areas should be dismissed if they fail to address the problem, based on their performance against the set indicators.
“At the ministry, when given the opportunity, I hold here the KPIs. This is the first time in the history of our country that the foreign ministry has come up with KPIs for ambassadors. All our high commissioners, ambassadors, our envoys, must meet these targets. And if you fall short, it’s now in the appointment letters that the president signed, it is basis for you to be dismissed.
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“I wish we replicate this in the regions and the districts we have galamsey. If in six months you are not able to stop galamsey, it means you are complicit. So, these are positions I hold dear, I still believe in them,” he concluded.
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