The 3-day protest, which started as a campaign on the popular social media platform, X, before transitioning to a live protest, drew the attention of various media bodies not just in Ghana, but worldwide, as well as global media brands like Al Jazeera.
However, this is not the first time the international brand caught wind of Ghana’s ‘shame.’
On March 23, 2023, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, released a four-part series, “Gold Mafia,” exposing gold smuggling gangs in Southern Africa.
In the fourth episode, Alistair Mathias, a gold trader, claimed to have connections with various African leaders, including Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo, whom he said was his lawyer.
Mathias boasted about his ability to smuggle over $40 million worth of gold out of Ghana monthly.
According to the documentary, despite occasional arrests, effective state action against gold smuggling is lacking, leading to billions of dollars in losses.
The events after to the release of the documentary were dramatic, with the presidency demanding a retraction and apology from Al Jazeera for what they described as an “inaccurate” and “unfair” depiction of President Akufo-Addo in the documentary.
Al Jazeera, in response, said it did not owe the president nor his office any apology since it did not allege the issues raised in the documentary and as such, did not owe Jubilee House a retraction and an apology.
Fast-forward to October 2024, and Ghana is in the claws of Al Jazeera once again, this time in relation to the effects of the illicit gold mining activities it reported on in the earlier documentary.
The latest report showcased footage of the devastation cause by galamsey, the protest and arrests of some demonstrators on September 22, and the subsequent 3-day protest held in solidarity of the arrested protesters, as well as calls for government action on galamsey.
This marks the second time Ghana’s ‘shame’ has been captured by the global media house, at least, very recently.
Al Jazeera was not the only international body, however, to capture the protest: BBC, CNN, NPR News, Bloomberg, and France 24 also joined the action, with the latter questioning the president on the concerns raised by the protesters.
See the post below:
For the 2nd Time in a ROW, Ghana under The Akufo-Addo Bawumia Government is on Al Jazeera for the wrong reasons.
1st was GOLD MAFIA Documentary.
2nd is this GALAMSEY DISASTER and ineffectiveness of Government to deal with it.
SAD! pic.twitter.com/ha6FcWepNR— roland walker👣 (@rowalkerghana) October 4, 2024
