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Gold Mafia: We won’t retract or apologise to Akufo-Addo – Al Jazeera
International media organisation Al Jazeera says it will not apologise to President Akufo-Addo over its recent investigative documentary, ‘Gold Mafia’.
Al Jazeera said it does not owe the president nor his office any apology since it did not allege the issues raised in the letter from the Jubilee House demanding a retraction and apology.
The Doha-based company made this known in a reply to JoyNews’ Kwaku Asante’s email on Thursday, May 4, requesting a copy of its response to the presidency over the matter.
International media organisation Al Jazeera says it will not apologise to President Akufo-Addo over its recent investigative documentary, ‘Gold Mafia’.
Al Jazeera said it does not owe the president nor his office any apology since it did not allege the issues raised in the letter from the Jubilee House demanding a retraction and apology.
The Doha-based company made this known in a reply to JoyNews’ Kwaku Asante’s email on Thursday, May 4, requesting a copy of its response to the presidency over the matter.
“We have responded to the letter from the president’s office, correcting some parts of its content and clarifying various points.
“Since the documentary did not actually allege what the president’s Office has suggested it did, we will not be apologising or removing it from publication,” excerpts of the Al Jazeera response said.
“We have responded to the letter from the president’s office, correcting some parts of its content and clarifying various points.
“Since the documentary did not actually allege what the president’s Office has suggested it did, we will not be apologising or removing it from publication,” excerpts of the Al Jazeera response said.
However, it did not share copies of its response to the presidency stating it’s confidential.
“Our reply to the president’s office was by way of a confidential letter,” the reply concluded.
The Jubilee House, in an April 25 letter, demanded an unqualified apology from Al Jazeera over its depiction of President Akufo-Addo in its damning documentary.
The letter signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante stated that; “I am instructed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to demand formally that Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera”) retract immediately and apologise for airing an inaccurate and unfair documentary that contained spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against the President and the Government of Ghana.
But Al Jazeera stated that it has corrected and also clarified some of the contents in the letter from the Jubilee House.
How Ghana Appeared in Al Jazeera’s ‘Gold Mafia’ Documentary
Earlier in April, Ghana popped up in a damning investigative documentary conducted into some of Zimbabwe’s gold smuggling and money laundering syndicates.
In the concluding episode, undercover journalists posing as Chinese gangsters interact with one of the key parties, Alistair Mathias to help clean their dirty money.
Mr Alistair who is described in the piece as a Financial Architect told the reporters posing as criminals that he had a track record of successfully orchestrating such syndicates.
Essentially, he is said to be instrumental in designing money laundering schemes for many corrupt politicians in Africa.
Alistair named Ghana as one of the countries where he had executed similar schemes adding that he is good friends with its President who he also claims used to be his lawyer.
“Ghana’s President is a good friend of mine, in fact, he was my lawyer,” he told the undercover reporters.
Mr Alistair who is described in the piece as a Financial Architect told the reporters posing as criminals that he had a track record of successfully orchestrating such syndicates.
Essentially, he is said to be instrumental in designing money laundering schemes for many corrupt politicians in Africa.
Alistair named Ghana as one of the countries where he had executed similar schemes adding that he is good friends with its President who he also claims used to be his lawyer.
“Ghana’s President is a good friend of mine, in fact, he was my lawyer,” he told the undercover reporters.
Mr Mathias added that he used to be the biggest smuggler in Ghana at one point, raking out about $40 million to $60 million worth of gold a month from the West African country.
During the documentary, Alistair outlined his modus operandi to the undercover journalists suggesting that the most important credential of his operations in Africa comes from the trust that some dubious politicians have in him to keep their siphoned resources safely tucked away.
He revealed that in doing this, the politicians involved do not keep assets in their own names, but rely on proxies.
Citing government infrastructure as an example, he indicated that he is able to take huge contracts on behalf of Ghanaian politicians, inflate the cost and subsequently split the profit afterwards.
“In Ghana, I take tenders, road construction, procurement, supplying different things, oil, this that. There, all the politicians get taken care of, indirectly because it allows me to do all my other stuff freely.
He explains further in the documentary;
“For example, Ghana government, Mathias Holdings, I get the contract. I subcontract it to you, $100 million contract. Ghana government pays me $100 million. I give it to you and you say it’s $80 million” he told the investigative reporters who secretly recorded the interaction.
In this scenario, the outstanding $20 million out of the inflated $100 million is shared per an arrangement reached between Alistair and the said politician.
“In Ghana, I take tenders, road construction, procurement, supplying different things, oil, this that. There, all the politicians get taken care of, indirectly because it allows me to do all my other stuff freely.
He explains further in the documentary;
“For example, Ghana government, Mathias Holdings, I get the contract. I subcontract it to you, $100 million contract. Ghana government pays me $100 million. I give it to you and you say it’s $80 million” he told the investigative reporters who secretly recorded the interaction.
In this scenario, the outstanding $20 million out of the inflated $100 million is shared per an arrangement reached between Alistair and the said politician.
Source:Myjoyonline.com
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Youth urged to take proactive stance on ozone depletion
•Mr Joseph Amankwah, first counting from, some officials from EPA and UNDP in group picture with the student
Mr Joseph Amankwah, the Director of Ozone Layer and Climate Change at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has urged the youth to take a proactive stance on issues related to ozone depletion, emphasising that their future would be most affected by its consequences.
Speaking during a student engagement event at the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASS) in Koforidua, he highlighted the critical role young people played in tackling climate-related challenges.
Mr Amankwah explained that human activities, such as the use of certain chemicals, were significantly contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer and driving climate change.
He said it was important to educate the youth on these issues, encouraging them to share this knowledge with their families to foster a broader understanding and active participation in climate action.
He urged the education sector to integrate lessons on the ozone layer, the causes of its depletion, and its links to climate change into the curriculum.
The event, organised by the EPA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was designed to foster environmental awareness and promote a sense of responsibility among young people.
Mr Amankwah noted that ozone layer depletion was affecting everyone, including children, as it alters weather patterns and threatens the natural environment.
He highlighted the need for young people to develop ‘green skills’ to adapt to the challenges of climate change and to understand ways to combat it.
He added that World Ozone Day, observed every September, would focus on youth engagement in environmental issues, to help them understand the long-term consequences of ozone depletion and climate change.
Mr Amankwah also discussed the harmful impact of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a major chemical contributor to ozone depletion.
He explained that household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners were common sources of CFC emissions in Ghana.
Many uncertified technicians work on these appliances, often releasing harmful chemicals into the atmosphere due to improper handling, he noted.
To address this, he urged appliance repairers to obtain proper certification and training, emphasising that unqualified repairs not only harm the environment but also endangered public health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman,
Koforidua
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Small-scale miners schooled on health hazards of mining with mercury
Mr Lovelace Sarpong (right) addressing the participants
Some Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in the Ashanti and Central regions have been sensitised on the potential health dangers humans are exposed to with the use of mercury in gold processing.
The sensitisation which was organised by PlanetGOLD Ghana project was to raise awareness about the negative impacts on the use of mercury in mining activities.
According to the PlanetGOLD Ghana Project Coordinator, Mr Lovelace Sarpong, the use of mercury in artisanal small-scale mining pose health challenges that affects the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys; and may be fatal.
Some Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that benefited from the exercise were Amansie Central, Asante Akim North, Amansie South, Amansie West, Bekwai, and Adansi North in the Ashanti Region, and Upper Denkyira East (Dunkwa-on-Offin) and Upper Denkyira West (Diaso) in the Central Region.
Additionally, he said inorganic salts of mercury were corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested.
He stated that the PlanetGOLD Project has conducted several initiatives to raise awareness on reducing mercury exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold mining actors in the country.
It was to promote mercury-free mining practices in line with Ghana’s obligations under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, support the formalisation of the ASGM sector while advocating the adoption of the CRAFT Code and responsible supply chains, and raise awareness on the availability of mercury-free alternatives.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Area Head for Konongo, Mr Dawood Abbas, underscored the importance of government’s environmental regulations and EPA’s role in ensuring compliance within the ASGM sector.
He encouraged miners to prioritise environmental stewardship to gain community trust and secure a Social License to Operate (SLO) and reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to enforce its commitments under the Minamata Convention.
BY Cecilia Lagba Yada
