Former Environment Minister Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has delivered a blunt assessment of Ghana’s prolonged battle against illegal mining, arguing that political calculations have repeatedly weakened efforts to protect the country’s rivers, forests and farmlands.

Speaking at the Fourth Annual Colloquium of the Department of Political Science Education at the University of Education, Winneba, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said successive governments had introduced measures to tackle galamsey but struggled to sustain them.

‘THE POLITICAL COST FALLS ON THE ENFORCER’

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng argued that officials who enforce environmental laws often bear the political consequences, while those who fail to act face little or no cost.

He said this imbalance has contributed significantly to Ghana’s difficulty in defeating illegal mining.

“In Ghana, the political cost of enforcing environmental law falls on the enforcer, and the political cost of not enforcing it falls on nobody.”

ANTI-GALAMSEY SYSTEM WAS BUILT — THEN ABANDONED

The former minister recalled measures introduced between 2017 and 2018, including the ban on artisanal and small-scale mining, Operation Vanguard, district-level committees, miner training and systems to monitor mining concessions and excavators.

According to him, the measures initially produced visible results, with parts of the Pra River becoming clear and reports of fish returning to waters previously considered severely degraded.

He argued, however, that many of the safeguards were abandoned after the mining ban was lifted in December 2018.

GH¢21 BILLION? NO — $21 BILLION RESTORATION BILL

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has also warned about the enormous financial cost of repairing the damage caused by illegal mining and other destructive activities.

He estimates that Ghana could require approximately US$21 billion to reclaim and restore degraded lands, with about 10% of the country’s surface area affected.

CALL FOR A NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMPACT

The former minister is proposing a National Environmental Compact to protect major environmental policies from being discarded whenever political power changes hands.

Under his proposal, any government seeking to abandon a major environmental commitment would have to explain the decision to Parliament and account for resources already invested in the policy.

He believes creating consequences for policy abandonment would make successive administrations more reluctant to sacrifice long-term environmental protection for short-term political considerations.

‘JAIL THOSE WHO APPROVE ILLEGAL PROJECTS’

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has further called for personal criminal liability for public officials who approve developments in protected wetlands, watercourses, drainage channels and forest reserves.

His argument is that institutions cannot be imprisoned for unlawful decisions — the individuals responsible for approving them should face accountability.

THE GALAMSEY BATTLE CONTINUES

With Ghana still grappling with polluted water bodies, degraded farmlands and destroyed forest reserves, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng believes the country needs more than political promises and temporary interventions.

His latest intervention has once again shifted attention to the difficult question of political will, enforcement and accountability in Ghana’s fight against galamsey.

For Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, Ghana already knows many of the solutions. The real challenge is whether political leaders will have the courage to enforce them — and keep them in place.

The controversy follows comments he made during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, where he praised improvements under the current administration while questioning how some institutions had been managed over the previous eight years.

‘WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING?’

During his visit to MIIF, the Chief Justice expressed admiration for what he had seen and heard about the performance of some state institutions.

He questioned what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years, remarks that were interpreted by critics as an implicit comparison between the current NDC administration and the previous NPP government.

His comments have since sparked a wider debate about whether the head of the Judiciary should publicly assess the performance of successive governments.

CDD-GHANA CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has urged the Chief Justice to exercise the highest possible restraint and discretion in his public engagements.

The organisation warned that comments contrasting the current administration with its predecessor could create a perception of political bias and potentially affect public confidence in the impartiality of the Judiciary.

CRITICS TURN UP THE HEAT

The comments have also attracted criticism from political actors and public commentators.

The NPP has accused the Chief Justice of making political commentary and called on him to resign, while political activist and physician Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has argued that the remarks were inappropriate for the head of an independent arm of government.

Former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has also urged the Chief Justice to avoid commenting on political matters that could potentially become subjects of litigation, warning that such statements could create a perception of bias.

JUDICIAL SERVICE RESPONDS

Amid the growing controversy, the Judicial Service has defended the Chief Justice’s intentions.

Judicial Secretary Musah Ahmed said the observations were made “in good faith” and were not intended to undermine judicial independence. The Service further reaffirmed the Chief Justice’s commitment to the integrity and independence of the Judiciary and to justice and equality before the law.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

At the heart of the controversy is a delicate constitutional issue: how far can the head of Ghana’s Judiciary go in publicly commenting on political and governmental performance without creating the appearance of taking sides?

While the Chief Justice’s supporters may view his comments as observations on institutional performance, critics believe the language and comparisons risk blurring the line between judicial leadership and political commentary.

With calls for restraint growing and the Judicial Service standing by the Chief Justice’s intentions, the debate over judicial independence, perception and political neutrality is far from over.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the ongoing ultramodern VIP Lounge at the Accra International Airport is progressing well and will be completed and handed over before the end of the year.

Ablakwa disclosed the update after inspecting the project on Friday, September 4, 2026, saying he was impressed with the pace and quality of work.

NO TAXPAYER MONEY USED

According to the Minister, the project is being delivered without drawing on taxpayer funds.

He explained that the financing model is based on corporate social responsibility contributions from local Ghanaian businesses, with participating companies paying contractors directly for various aspects of the project.

The Foreign Ministry’s Estate Bureau, he said, is responsible for supervising the works and ensuring that the required standards are maintained.

‘A GREAT SYMBOL OF WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED’

Ablakwa described the initiative as an example of how private-sector partnerships can support major infrastructure projects without putting additional pressure on the public purse.

He said the arrangement has also allowed the project to proceed without conventional public procurement.

ULTRAMODERN FACILITY TAKING SHAPE

The VIP Lounge is intended to provide an upgraded facility for the reception and handling of dignitaries and other high-profile guests using the Accra International Airport.

Recent images from the project site show construction work nearing completion, with significant progress made on the facility.

HANDOVER EXPECTED THIS YEAR

With work advancing steadily, Ablakwa is confident the facility will be ready before the end of 2026.

The project has therefore become another closely watched development at Ghana’s main international gateway, with attention now turning to the final stages of construction and the eventual handover.

From funding to construction, Ablakwa says the project is moving without taxpayer money — and the new airport VIP experience could soon become a reality.