Ghana: Junior Finance Minister Fired Over Gold Mining Scandal

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Facts

  • Ghanaian Pres. Nana Akufo-Addo's office announced on Monday that Deputy Minister for Finance Charles Adu Boahen was fired after allegations emerged against him in an expose about an illegal gold mining scheme.
  • The decision came after a leaked clip of "Galamsey Economy," a new documentary produced by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and set to be aired on Monday, appeared to show Boahen collecting nearly $200K from investors to give to Ghana's VP Mahamudu Bawumia.
  • Bawumia defended himself on Facebook, claiming not to be aware of "any such meeting by the minister" and warning that his name must not be used "for corrupt activities."
  • The news comes amid calls for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to be fired over accusations of economic mismanagement, as the country's public debt is higher than 80% of GDP and inflation is running above 40%.
  • Ghana has been forced to seek a $3B bailout from the International Monetary Fund as its currency plunged and yields on its eurobonds have surged this year amid concerns about the sustainability of the debt.
  • This is only the latest expose by Aremeyaw Anas, whose work also led to a ban on the former Ghana Football Association president by FIFA and sanctioning of over 50 referees across Africa, as well as the dismissal of over 30 superior and lower court judges over bribes to dismiss cases.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Africa, My Joy Online, Ghana Business, Bloomberg, and Vanguard Ngr.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Ghana Speaks. This is further proof of the widespread corruption of the finance ministry — all the way to the top. There has long been an entanglement of politicians and banks, and nothing will ever change unless the entire ministry is dismantled and head minister Ken Ofori-Atta is also fired.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Graphic Online. Though the severity of these reports came as a surprise to Pres. Akufo-Addo, Ghana's leader has taken decisive action by immediately firing Adu Boahen and calling for an investigation into the matter. He is working to tackle the corruption.