Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has hailed the late Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, as a leader with the vision and determination to end Ghana’s illegal mining crisis.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, August 11, Mr Ablakwa said Dr Omane Boamah’s integrity and resolve could have reshaped the nation’s fight against galamsey.
“We have truly lost people with immense potential, people who could have altered the destiny of our country,” he said. “I have no doubt whatsoever that Dr Omane Boamah would have solved this galamsey crisis.”
Sharing details of private conversations, Mr Ablakwa revealed that the late minister was adamant about deploying the military to clamp down on illegal miners, refusing to yield to political interference.
According to him, Dr Omane Boamah once said, “The military will be deployed, I’m deploying them. I get calls, sometimes he would even show me who is calling, it could be national or regional executives, but I’m not listening to them. I will not engage in pretence. What we do behind closed doors must match what we say publicly. These troops are in harm’s way, risking their lives, and you expect us to cut political deals? No, I won’t be part of that.”
Mr Ablakwa added that Dr Omane Boamah had openly discussed this hardline approach with President John Dramani Mahama, who fully backed the plan. “President Mahama told him, ‘You have my full blessings, go ahead,’” he recounted.
Dr Omane Boamah was among eight prominent Ghanaians who died in the August 6 military helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region.
