President Akufo-Addo says he finds nothing wrong with the arrest of some protesters by the Ghana Police Service during the #StopGalamsey demonstration.
According to him, their actions caused their arrest and will be dealt with by the court.
The president told France 24 TV in an interview that he was not responsible for the arrest and would not interfere with the court's decision to remand them.
"I'm not responsible for jailing people in Ghana. The courts in Ghana are independent institutions and they have been all through this period of the Fourth Republic. People misconduct themselves and they're brought before court. It's for the court to deal with them. It has nothing to do with politics or the executive.
"Their behavior is what lands them in problems with the police and with the courts. It's not the protest. How can the president, who himself's political career was aided by leading protests, have problems with protests? I don't have problems with protests. And nothing is done in Ghana to prevent people from airing their views on anything," Akufo-Addo said.
The recent protest in question was organized to raise awareness of the environmental devastation caused by galamsey, a practice that has severely impacted Ghana’s natural resources, including its rivers and forests.
But President Akufo-Addo believes the protest was politically motivated to make his government unpopular ahead of December 7. polls.
However, the Organised Labour has served notice that it will also embark on a strike on October 10, 2024, if the government fails to respond to the calls to end galamsey