Kwesi Botchwey Junior, a private legal practitioner, has expressed a strong critique of the invitation extended by President John Dramani Mahama to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to discuss issues related to illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
Mr. Botchwey Junior posits that the President’s invitation is potentially intended to either compromise or secure the silence of these organizations.
He asserted that the current administration, led by President Mahama, had previously pledged to declare a state of emergency on galamsey but has since retracted that commitment. According to Mr. Botchwey Junior, the decision to meet with CSOs now is merely a reaction to the unbearable public pressure and negative publicity confronting the government over its perceived inaction on illegal mining.
These remarks were made during an interview on the program “Frontline” on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM.
Mr. Botchwey Junior’s commentary follows the official invitation extended to select CSOs, religious bodies, and media organizations to convene with President Mahama on October 3, 2025, for discussions on the pervasive issue of illegal mining.
During the Frontline interview, Mr. Botchwey Junior articulated two primary motivations for the President’s invitation: either the President’s desire to “buy the CSOs to be quiet” in the ongoing campaign against galamsey or an attempt to “waste the time of the CSOs.”
He dismissed the claim that the President genuinely seeks their views as a “smoke screen.”
Mr. Botchwey Junior highlighted perceived inconsistencies in the President’s stance, recalling that while in opposition, President Mahama promised to deploy Artificial Intelligence to combat galamsey and also accused members and appointees of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of complicity in the activities. He questioned the change in strategy, concluding that “The meeting is an attempt to induce the CSOs to be quite against galamsey.”
Mr. Botchwey Junior stated that he and others would be “monitoring closely and watch out for the CSOs that will go mute after the meeting,” indicating an intent to track the post-meeting conduct and independence of the participating organizations.
He slammed the government, accusing it of operating without a viable blueprint or coherent strategy for effectively addressing the fight against illegal mining.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
