With growing concerns about the activities of notorious galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, President Akufo-Addo says he is not sure about her earlier deportation from Ghana.
According to him, her re-emergence raises concerns about whether she left the country the first place.
Speaking on a Ho-based radio station, as part of his tour of the Volta Region, he expressed reservation about the nefarious activities of Aisha Huang and affirmed his support for her prosecution.
“I’m not still sure whether she was in fact deported. Or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.
“But whichever way it is, she’s become the sort of nickname for all that galamsey represents”, he said.
“We have concerted to work at it. We need to have the cooperation of the courts. Until recently when I came, the punishment for people caught was relatively light. [But] we’ve changed the law to stiffen the punishment for people caught,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo’s comments are in however in contrast with an earlier assertion by Senior Minister and special advisor to the President, Yaw Osafo Marfo.
Speaking at a 2019 government town hall meeting in the US, Mr Osafo Marfo stated that government deported the Chinese national instead of jailing her in accordance with Ghanaian laws.
“We have a very good relationship with China. Today, the main company that is helping develop the infrastructure system in Ghana is Sinohydro, it is a Chinese Company. It is the one that is going to help process our bauxite and provide about two billion dollars to us… So when there are these kinds of arrangements, there are other things behind the scenes”, he stressed.
“Putting that lady (Aisha Huang) in jail in Ghana is not going to solve your economic problems. It is not going to make you happy or me happy, that’s not important, the most important thing is that she has been deported out of Ghana”, Osafo Marfo said.
But despite the contrast, Akufo-Addo noted that the fight against galamsey has become more popular in his regime.
In his view, efforts to clamp down on illegal mining have seen a massive improvement under his watch as President.
The President, therefore, urged Ghanaians to sustain the momentum in dealing with the menace.
“The efforts have brought a lot of fruits first of all. Galamsey is now a subject of national discussion. Everywhere you go, there’s this matter of galamsey. We’ve at least achieved this purpose of heightening consciousness about it as an evil.
“When I came, nobody was talking about galamsey. Since we came and focused on it, it is now the subject of discussions in homes, in offices, in meetings and all across Ghana. So that’s one positive development”, stressed
Meanwhile, the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has expressed his resolve to prosecute notorious ‘galamsey’ poster girl, Aisha Huang for her past and recent crimes.
Aisha, whose nefarious activities came to light again was recently arrested and arraigned before court.
Following this development, there have been rife public concerns about the activities of the Chinese lady in Ghana.
But the Attorney General says his outfit will deal swiftly with the issue and bring her and all collaborators to book.
