The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Save Ghana Movement, Robert Andzie Ansah, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s proposal to reward whistleblowers with 10% of gold or cash seized from illegal gold traders.
Ansah made this known during an exclusive interview on Fabea FM’s Me Man Ho Dadwen, hosted by Apiah-Kubi. He argued that the proposed reward scheme, aimed at combating illegal gold trading and smuggling, could encourage bribery and corruption.
The Save Ghana Movement seeks to highlight the prolonged lack of progress in the country since independence, which it attributes to the failure of both major political parties to deliver the desired results.
According to Ansah, for Ghana to derive maximum benefits from its gold resources, citizens must willingly assist in exposing illegal activities without expecting financial rewards.
He said Ghana had not achieved enough since gaining independence and called for strategic measures to identify and address the country’s challenges.
“Ghana, as a country, has not been able to put measures in place to support young children and retirees since independence, and it is disheartening,” Ansah lamented.
He further argued that citizens would be more committed to protecting the country’s natural resources if they recognised that those resources belonged to them.
“If I own something, I will not sit aloof and allow someone to take or steal it before I apprehend them for a reward. So, I totally disagree with the President’s announcement,” Ansah reiterated.
He maintained that the availability of good roads, quality healthcare, potable water and quality education, adequately funded through the country’s natural resources, would encourage greater public accountability and help prevent smuggling.
“We should realise that our natural resources belong to us, and we should not allow foreigners to take ownership of them,” Ansah urged.
He further stressed that if the government’s vision was to reset the country, citizens needed to be adequately educated about the initiative and their role in achieving its objectives.
Ansah concluded by calling on the country’s leaders to identify Ghana’s major challenges and take concrete steps to address them.
