TIG Post

Tag: Steve Manteaw

  • IMCIM report: Akufo-Addo to be remembered as the worst president ever – Steve Manteaw fumes

    IMCIM report: Akufo-Addo to be remembered as the worst president ever – Steve Manteaw fumes

    The co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr. Steve Manteaw, has expressed his discontent with the way President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has dealt with illegal small-scale mining, often known as galamsey.

    Dr. Steve Manteaw criticised the president for delaying the investigation into the 2021 report produced by Professor Frimpong Boateng, a former minister of environment, science, technology, and innovation and the former chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), in an interview with Neat FM on April 26, 2023.

    “…a president who has sworn to fight against galamsey…a former cabinet minister has given you a hint on what is happening for you to take a step…but it seems that this president doesn’t care about anything.

    And this is my greatest worry because, all that is going on under his government is a written history, which would not affect only him but the entire generation to come, and gradually this president is going down in history as the worse president we have ever had.

    “When it comes to corruption, then he will say if you want to lay an allegation bring evidence, my brother we have state agencies that are in charge of investigations but as a citizen, if I give you thumps up about an issue, then you tell me to go and investigate and bring evidence, how?

    If you are somebody who is serious, the moment you hear something you will let the security agencies take charge, you won’t demand evidence because you have people that we have paid to do that job,” he said.

    Dr. Manteaw added that the President appears not to care about the negative impact of the galamsey activity on the environment and the nation’s sustainability.

    He added that the President’s inaction may go down in history as one of the worst leadership failures in Ghana.
    He also lamented the President’s response to corruption allegations.

    “…when you look at the things that Frimpong Boateng said in his report, a lot of it bothers on time and national security, it bothers on the sustainability on the national environment, the environment in which our lives is sustained, my brother just look at our water bodies, and you claim that someone has brought a report and alleging some of your appointees are involved in galamsey, then you will ignore in the name of the person not passing through the due process, then you the president I believe you don’t know your work,” he added.

    His remarks follow a response from the Office of the President to a 37-page report by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, accusing some government employees and some top officials at the Presidency of engaging in galamsey and frustrating his fight against the menace as the former chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

    A statement, the Office of the President indicated that the report was not an official report formally delivered to the presidency.

    It described the 37-page report as an of personal grievances by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.

  • Galamsey fight has always been a charade – Steve Manteaw

    Galamsey fight has always been a charade – Steve Manteaw

    Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr Steve Manteaw had described as a “charade” government’s fight against galamsey.

    Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, April 22, 2023, he opined that the fight has been more of lip service than action oriented.

    His comment follows the leaked report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) authored by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in which a number of government officials have been named as having engaged in galamsey or interfered with the work of the Committee.

    Commenting on the report, the Professor asserted that the fight has become difficult since there officials at the Presidency involved.

    “But to the extent that at the level of the presidency, there’s a certain complicity, then it becomes very difficult to fight it. So I’ve always actually described the fight against Galamsey as a charade, and I’ve never really taken the president seriously, especially when he said he was putting his job on the line.

    He further bemoaned the failure of President Akufo-Addo to act on the matter.

    “Since 2021, when he received this report, what has he done about it? Not even a public expression of indignation at the revelations in this report and directing actions that will actually get to the bottom of the allegations contained in the report,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the said officials including Charles Bissue , Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Lord Commey, among others have all denied the allegations.

  • Steve Manteaw cautions government against ‘political interference’ in TOR activities

    Steve Manteaw cautions government against ‘political interference’ in TOR activities

    A policy analyst, Dr Steve Manteaw is advising government to avoid political interferences as a form of engendering operational efficiency in the operation of the Tema Oil refinery (TOR).

    According to him, managers of the institution should not be politically appointed.

    “Introduce operational efficiency and that is to say prevent political interferences in the affairs of the Tema Oil refinery. The managers should not be politically appointed. Let’s find a way of reducing government interference in the operation of the Tema Oil refinery,” he said on Thursday, February 23.

    The analyst, while speaking on JoyNews‘ AM Show also lamented the need for government to focus on fixing the Tema Oil refinery in the wake of the hikes in oil prices.

    He has expressed worry about the country’s mode of operation in the oil market. According to him, it is disturbing that the country has to transport its own oil for refinery purposes in foreign countries and later has to search for money to go buy the finished product.

    He has therefore recommended that the government, if serious about solving current oil issues, should focus on fixing the Tema Oil refinery by increasing its capacity.

    He explained that while the indigenous oil refinery has the capacity to produce an average of about 45,000 barrels per day, competitive oil refineries are producing about 100,000 barrels per day.

    He said the current capacity of the Tema Oil refinery does not allow it to “enjoy the economics of scale.”

    Dr. Manteaw explained that the country needs to start processing its own oil in that the side benefit is the creation of employment opportunities for Ghanaians which also translate into retaining all the profits.

    According to him, additional benefits of a refinery country are the production of petrol, kerosene, diesel, heavy fuel and subsequently, bitumen which would be used in road construction.

    The expert was assessing the government’s Gold-for-Oil policy which seeks to strike a deal with some foreign countries with sufficient oil.

    Meanwhile, some experts have explained that the country does not need the deal, explaining that the government could produce sufficient oil should it focus on developing and sustaining the oil refinery in the country and subsequently curb the high cost of oil.

    Others also believe that the deal could spike up corruption in that there was no budgetary allocation made to it in the 2023 budget reading in parliament.

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Recommenders and approvers of salaries to presidential spouses have no conscience Dr Manteaw

    Dr Steve Manteaw, the former chairman of the Public Interest Accountability Committee, PIAC, has issued a scathing criticism to persons and institutions that recommended and approved the payment of salaries to the spouses of the president and his vice.

    In a Facebook post, Dr Steve Manteaw said that the persons and institutions responsible for the above-stated decisions do not have the interest of the country at heart.

    “Those who recommended, and those who approved payment to the spouses of our leaders have no conscience, and no regard for the Ghanaian,” he posted on Facebook.

    The rationalization of the payment of gratuities to the first and second ladies has irked some persons who have sought refuge in the Supreme Court to prevent the government from making the payment.

    Kwame Baffoe Abronye, a Member of the ruing party has sued the government at the Supreme Court, praying the apex court to reject the arrangement on the basis that it has no law backing it.

    “A declaration that the approval by Parliament to pay salaries to the First and Second Ladies is inconsistent with Article 71 clauses 1 and 2 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana and consequently be declared null, void, and unenforceable.

    “A declaration that, per article 71 (1) and (2), the position of the First and Second Ladies of Ghana do not fall under the category of public officeholders,” portions of his suit read.

    Aside Abronye, two NDC MPs have also sued the government making argument similar to that of Abronye.

    In a suit filed on Thursday, July 8, 2021, the MPs for South Dayi and Builsa South, Rockson Dafeamakpor and Clement Apaak respectively said that the committee went beyond its boundaries in roping in the payment of benefits of the first and second ladies in its work.

    The two MPs are seeking the following reliefs;

    1. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee appointed by the President of the Republic of Ghana under Article 71(1), only had jurisdiction to make recommendations in respect of salaries, allowances payable, facilities and privileges of Article 71 office holders under the 1992 Constitution.

    2. A further declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee had no jurisdiction, mandate or authority to make any recommendations in respect of salaries, allowances payable, facilities and privileges of persons other than persons specified under Article 71 of 1992 Constitution.

    3. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee exceeded its jurisdiction, mandate and authority when it purported to make recommendations in respect of privileges, facilities, salaries and allowances payable to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana.

    4. A further declaration that the recommendations of the Committee, to the extent that it pertains to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana, are null, void and of no effect.

    5. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the Constitution, 1992, spouses of the President and the Vice President are not Article 71 office holders for the purposes of receipt of wages and emoluments.

    6. An order declaring the recommendations in respect of privileges, facilities, salaries, and allowances payable to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana as unconstitutional and void.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com