Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, has said that President John Mahama’s invitation to civil society organisations (CSOs) to a dialogue on galamsey is just a meet and greet.
The IMANI president criticised the Mahama government’s over-reliance on dialogues.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, John Mahama, in opposition campaign for more than 12 months, so he knows the problem of the galamsey menace.
Mr Cudjoe noted that President Mahama, in power, has already made his stance that his government is not in a hurry to declare a state of emergency on galamsey.
Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, September 30, Mr Cudjoe stated, “Frankly, apart from esprit de corps, as in gathering and meeting on this matter. I don’t know the takeaway from this meeting. Maybe the President wants to hear from us directly, face to face.
I don’t understand the meeting; whatever it is, it’s an opportunity to meet him head-on and say ‘look, this is essential and must be dealt with and some assurances that it will be done,” he said.
Franklin Cudjoe added, “The president campaigned for close to 12 months or more on this issue, so he knows. The Presidency has made its stance known. They are not in a hurry to declare a state of emergency”.
“The measures we have to put in place are to secure the hotspots simultaneously. Those properly registered acquire proper licences to do their work, and those who don’t have licences will be dealt with.
“The meeting is a meet and greet, so far as I’m concerned. We will have to hold the President to account. We need to give ourselves timelines, give ourselves KPIs. If the year ends and we don’t see anything on galamsey, it will be ‘butubutu’ [a problem],” he warned.
His comments come following President John Dramani Mahama’s invitation to Civil Society Organisations to a high-level engagement on illegal mining.
The meeting is scheduled for Friday, 3rd October, 2025, at 12:00 noon at Jubilee House.
The dialogue is expected to bring together government officials and civil society leaders to find a lasting solution to the menace of illegal mining.
In a letter issued by Dr Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, it indicates the dialogue will serve as a platform for frank and constructive discussions on illegal mining.
The letter stated, “This engagement aims to provide a platform for frank and constructive dialogue between the Government and civil society on the menace of illegal mining, with a view to harnessing collective expertise, perspectives, and solutions to address this national challenge”.
President Mahama’s invitation comes at a time when his government have been receiving backlash over their failure to properly deal with illegal mining.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has ordered the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations (NAIMOS) Task Force to be firm, resolute and ruthless.
According to the Lands Minister, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations has the full support of President John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking at the deployment of the NAIMOS Task Force in Sunyani on Sunday, September 28, 2025, Armah-Kofi Buah stated, “The fight against illegal mining is not going to stop, and every measure at the Presidency is going to be used. I charge you with a profound sense of duty and patriotism.
Any recalcitrant who enters these zones is not only a trespasser, but also an enemy of the state. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless.
“You will take no obtrusive intrusion from any big man. Remember, the biggest man in Ghana is the President, and he is the one who has sent you,” Mr Buah declared.
“The most powerful person in this country, the President, is fully backing you on this mission. The NDC does not and will not endorse what our President is against. In the bush or in a water body, there is no political colour.
So, if anybody goes in the name of a political colour, arrest the person. If anybody comes in the name of the President, also arrest the person,” he said.
Also, Mustapha Gbande, the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, has called on NAIMOS to enforce the law without fear or favour.
He stated, “The most powerful person in this country, the President, is fully backing you on this mission. The NDC does not and will not endorse what our President is against. In the bush or in a water body, there is no political colour.
So, if anybody goes in the name of a political colour, arrest the person. If anybody comes in the name of the President, also arrest the person,” Mustapha Gbande said.