Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday fired Charles Adu Boahen, the minister of state for finance, over corruption allegations, reported The Reuters.
In a statement, the president said he had taken the decision to fire Adu Boahen over allegations levelled against him in an expose about small-scale gold mining.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect,” the statement read.
It added that the president had also forwarded the issue to the special prosecutor for further investigations.
Artisanal mining is widespread in Ghana, Africa’s second-largest gold producer, and accounts for about one-third of the country’s production.
An expose by controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the documentary “Galamsey Economy,” alleged that Boahen had taken bribes from artisanal mine investors to allow them to operate unimpeded. It shows him trying to demand $200,000 from potential investors to give to the vice president to allow them to do business.
Ghanaian parliament members are also demanding the dismissal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, accusing him of corruption and economic mismanagement as the country faces its worst economic crisis in a generation.
Earlier this month, hundreds of protesters marched through the capital city Accra, calling for the resignation of the Ghanaian President amid an economic crisis that has seen fuel and food costs spiral to record levels.
The protest erupted after President Akufo-Addo announced that the government was in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for billions of dollars in aid. Ghana is seeking a loan of $3 billion from the IMF to tackle record inflation and the collapse of the value of its currency, the cedi.
The president assured that once the IMF deal gets finalized, the Ghanaian government won’t have to undertake any harsh measures to trim the value of the country’s debt.
