Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to rescind his government’s decision to deport illegal miners, particularly foreign nationals, without prosecution.

According to Rev. Opuni Frimpong, the policy is a “defeatist approach” that weakens the country’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, the outspoken clergyman described the decision as unfair and dangerous to Ghana’s justice system.

“This is not the kind of leadership we expect. Why should foreigners who come here to destroy our water bodies be sent back to their countries, while Ghanaians who commit the same offence are thrown into prison?” he questioned.

Rev. Opuni Frimpong added that this policy sends the wrong signal and gives foreigners a “comfortable ride” at the expense of the nation’s environment and laws.

“They always say pastors have kept quiet, but this is not about silence. We gave them the honeymoon period, but this is wrong, and it must be corrected,” he stated.

The President’s administration has faced backlash over this approach, which was first announced by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, and later reinforced by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The Ministry of the Interior claimed that the decision was influenced by loopholes in Ghana’s justice delivery system, which allowed some foreigners to escape prosecution.

As a result, the government opted to deport such individuals to be tried in their home countries.

However, Rev. Opuni Frimpong insists this is unacceptable.

“If a Ghanaian breaks the law, they face the consequences here. Why should foreigners be treated differently? If they commit crimes on our soil, they should be prosecuted and imprisoned here, just like any Ghanaian,” he stressed.

He also sent a direct appeal to Mahama.

“I am calling on former President Mahama to rescind this decision. If he didn’t authorize it, he must come out and publicly reject it.”

Rev. Opuni Frimpong warned that failure to reverse this policy would make the fight against illegal mining even more difficult. “If this continues, it will discourage the efforts to curb galamsey. Any NDC member who loves this country must advise their leadership on this. We cannot punish Ghanaians and set foreigners free,” he concluded.

A former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has urged relevant bodies and stakeholders to explore ways to curb excesses in the religious space.

He made the call while contributing to discussions on Easter, religion, chieftaincy, and politics, on GHOne TV on April, 21, 2025.

“There’s something about religion that, in fact, in this country, we must be worried about. There are churches in Ghana but it is not only in Christianity – you can use religion to manipulate people,” he said.

He cited socio-economic factors as the main driver of the trend that has led to exploitation in many forms.

“When people are in need – whether it is marriage, child birth, poverty, unemployment, they are prepared to do anything to get out of trouble. Because religion inspires hope, it has become one area where people who are in crisis turn to for solutions. So, at that point, religion makes sense to them because of the hope factor. I think that is where our challenge comes from.

“We have a society that is exposed to socio-economic challenges and because people are looking for solutions, they turn to religion. I hear people preaching on radio stations and on TV saying ‘I can pray for you so that you can have x, y, z …’,” he explained.

Rev Dr Opuni-Frimpong, regardless, cautioned against an outright condemnation of religious organisations highlighting its impact in the areas of education and health.

He emphasised how religious denominations have contributed in the area of infrastructure in the educational sector.

He, however, called on the relevant stakeholders to explore ways to sanitise the religious space.

“We must be careful how we approach this as the church has served our country well in the area of quality education delivery. As at now, all the best high schools were all set up by the church…

“When we talk about health, the only hospital in Bawku enclave is a Presbyterian hospital. Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School are all notable institutions set up by the church. So, though, there are excesses, let’s look at the brighter side of things and find a way of correcting the wrong. We must protect the good things we have been able to build over the years,” he said.

Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has emphasised the need for a collective effort from faith-based organisations to help end the protracted Bawku conflict.

The former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana stated that it is time for churches and other religious bodies to play an active role in silencing the guns.

Rev. Dr. Opuni-Frimpong made the clarion call in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, expressing grave concern over the instability, which he said poses an existential threat to lives and livelihoods.

“Where is the church? We cannot say we have nothing to do in the Bawku conflict. All the churches have people in Bawku. Where is Islam, the Muslim leaders? The police are doing what they can, but what about the faith-based organisations who have schools and other institutions in Bawku?

“We can come together and embark on a peace march, engage the chiefs, youth groups, and appeal for calm. We must silence the guns, so faith-based leaders must come together and ask ourselves: what is our role in silencing the guns?” he admonished.

His comments follow a resurgence of the conflict, which has claimed the lives of two police officers, left others injured, and disrupted healthcare delivery.

He appealed directly to churches and religious leaders nationwide to rise above ethnic divisions and stand in solidarity with the people of Bawku.

“The real issue is that the people of Bawku are part of us; they are Ghanaians. We share common blood. And what is happening is a shame—the deaths and all they have witnessed. Let’s leave the Kusasi, Mamprusi thing. Let’s see them as our people. How many people do we want to see dead before we move in?” he questioned.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa commended the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his efforts to resolve the conflict and promote peace.

A senior lecturer at the Department of Religion and Human Development KNUST, Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has urged Christians to engage in politics, dispelling the notion that it is a “dirty game.”

According to him, politics is about managing interests and relationships, and Christians can make a positive impact by serving in this sphere.

Speaking on GHone TV on April 22, 2025, Dr Opuni-Frimpong emphasised the importance of nurturing the next generation of politicians from the church, citing examples of similar initiatives in other countries such as Angola.

“This notion that politics is dirty; politics is not dirty. I run a program for Christian Council of Angola. Deliberately, now, they are bringing church people – youth, and preparing them to go into politics. We do that in church. The churches in Ghana must start it as well, the next generation of our politicians must be raised in church,” he indicated.

He encouraged the church to play a role in preparing Ghanaian youth for public service and politics, promoting good governance and leadership.

“Politics is good. Politics is not dirty. The mere fact that there are excesses doesn’t mean it’s bad. There are good pastors, bad pastors, good chiefs, bad chiefs. In fact, I think you also have some bad media people. So, I will encourage the church to prepare the youth into politics to promote good governance,” he stated.

Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has called on the Christian community to play an active role in ending the long-standing conflict in Bawku.

This follows a recent resurgence of the conflict, which has claimed the lives of some two police officers and affected healthcare delivery in the area.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show on Monday, April 21, Dr. Opuni-Frimpong described the continued violence as a national shame and called on the religious groups to help silence the guns since people of Bawku are not outsiders, but fellow Ghanaians with whom the rest of the country shares a common heritage and humanity.

He appealed directly to churches and religious leaders across the country, particularly those in the south, to rise above ethnic divisions and stand in solidarity with the people of Bawku.

• Read also: IGP directs police to wear protective gear with armoured escorts in Bawku

“The real issue is that the people of Bawku are part of us; they are Ghanaians. We share common blood. And what is happening is a shame—the deaths and all they have witnessed.

“Let’s leave the Kusasi, Mamprusi thing. Let’s see them as people who deserve our love. I expect the churches to move, even from the south—pastors, bishops must go to Bawku,” Dr. Opuni-Frimpong urged.

He praised the efforts of the Asantehene, who has been involved in peace-building, and suggested that religious leaders join in such efforts, including organising peaceful marches in Bawku to demonstrate unity and a collective desire for peace.

“We’ve reached a point where the guns in Bawku must be silenced,” he insisted.

Former General Secretary of the Christian Council, Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong is asking political parties to commit to zero tolerance for electoral violence and associated deaths in the 2024 December 7 polls.

He made the call following the eight deaths recorded during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking at the Regional Peace Summit in Techiman, Dr Frimpong described the electoral violence that claimed two lives in Techiman during the polls as unfortunate.

“Our elections have been characterized by electoral violence, especially electoral death. Unfortunately, this area Techiman, they have witnessed that during the 2020 elections and now together with all the key stakeholders we want to commit to zero tolerance of electoral death that is our message”.

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, who is also a lecturer in African Christianity at the Department of Religious Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), stated that as the campaign season kicks off, there was a need for all stakeholders, especially political party leaders to come on board to drum home the need to ensure that the country did not record any violence before, during and after this year’s presidential and parliamentary polls.

“We must go through the election peacefully. We know every election has some form of tension, but it should not lead to death. Ghanaians must not lose their lives because somebody is becoming a Member of Parliament or a President,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has vowed to ensure that the 2024 general election is transparent, free and fair and without violence.

He has, therefore, cautioned elements plotting to foment trouble in the election to reconsider their action, stressing that he would not countenance any act of violence.

“We are going to elect a leader; we are not going to war. I want them to understand that my government will not allow any nation wrecker to plunge this country into a state of war and anarchy because of the election,” he stated.

Electoral violence being witnessed in the country could be attributed to too much power vested in the presidency, a former General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has observed.

He said the winner-takes-all syndrome facilitated by the constitution, gives the President the sole power to appoint ministers of state, heads of state enterprises and other critical agencies, such as security agencies and the Electoral Commission, making the stakes high during elections.

He added that politics had also become a business venture in recent times in which people sell their homes, take loans from the banks and invest them in election campaigns; hence, the resolve to win at all cost to recoup the investments made.

“We are drifting from patriotism, and love for the nation to politics as investment and business. If it is patriotism and I don’t get it, it is painful, but I can go back to sleep. If you make politics a business where people have invested so much, and they don’t win, it becomes difficult to accept.”

“That’s why we go into the vigilante; they want to arm innocent young people and they don’t care. Anybody that comes across their path they want to clear because of the business and investment issues. They can’t stand to see their business go to waste. That is one of the major challenges we face,” he said.

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, stated this in an interview with the

 Daily Graphic as part of a campaign for zero tolerance for electoral violence, saying no blood should be shed in this year’s election.

He noted that though there had been a constitutional review during the tenure of the late President Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, his successor failed to implement it, leading to the persistence of the structural political problems.

Electioneering

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, who is also a lecturer in African Christianity at the Department of Religious Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, stated that as the electioneering heated up, there was a need for all stakeholders, especially religious and traditional leaders to come on board to drum home the need to ensure that the country did not record any violence before, during and after this year’s Presidential and Parliamentary polls.

“As the electioneering gathers momentum, politicians will be visiting your churches, mosques and palaces and there is a need for our pastors, Imams and chiefs to impress upon them to campaign based on issues and what they can do for the nation devoid of insults and hate speech,” he said.

“The same way our political leaders visit our churches, mosques and palaces to seek our blessing and prayers, when they come we must let them also commit to zero tolerance of electoral death. And we will still say that our soil must not drink the blood of innocent people. And this is a vow that we must take. The horror of electoral violence must end,” Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong added.

He noted that Ghana had come far with its multi-party democracy and all stakeholders, especially political leaders, their supporters and the entire citizenry must guard against electoral violence that tended to mar the beauty of the country’s democracy, which had been hailed as a shining example in the sub-region.

He, therefore, bemoaned the incident that happened at Techiman, the capital of the Bono East Region, where some people lost their lives during the 2020 general election, saying everything must be done to prevent such an unfortunate incident in this year’s general election.

The Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, has cautioned politicians against engaging in actions that result in the killing of voters during elections.

According to him, politicians should have the mindset of serving the people, not destroying them.

Speaking on Accra-based Adom FM, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, who once served as the General Secretary of the Christian Council, questioned the logic of politicians who resort to violence and bloodshed to win elections.

“When you become a Member of Parliament or president, you come in with the intention to serve. Why should your decision to lead and develop us result in the death of people. After killing them, which people will benefit from your development, if they are all dead?” he questioned.

He cited the example of the Techiman incident, where some six voters were killed during the 2020 elections.

He urged politicians to value the lives of the people, and to seek peaceful and democratic means of resolving their differences.

“You went to Techiman for the voters to vote for you into office for which you will develop the place. But the people you intend to develop, died before the development came to them.

“So, what benefit did the party member who died during elections get from your development?” he quizzed.

A former General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, has stressed on the need to prevent the loss of innocent lives during elections in the country.

He warned against a scenario where the soil of Ghana is often tainted with the blood of citizens during voting periods.

Speaking on a Joy News programme, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong urged the nation to recognise the gravity of such a situation.

“Election is a process of identifying leaders. Leadership is service and therefore, the search for a leader should not end in the death of innocent people to the point that our Ghanaian soil must not drink the blood of innocent people in the name of elections. It seems that realisation has not come to us strongly,” he said.

In the 2020 general elections, Ghana recorded a total of six election related deaths, a development Rev. Dr. Rev Dr Opuni Frimpong describes as worrying.

He pointed out that the country has yet to fully grasp the impact of continued loss of lives on its democratic achievements.

Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong also called on stakeholders to work together and achieve a zero tolerance electoral violence and death in the 2024 general election.

He urged unity among political parties, electoral bodies, security forces, and the general public to ensure a peaceful and democratic election process.

“We record the deaths and it’s like it’s nothing but we can’t continue like that and those who are involved, all of us stakeholders must come together and maybe commit to zero tolerance of electoral violence especially electoral death,” he added.

A former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has stressed the need for an improvement in the conduct of elections in the country although past elections had been relatively peaceful.

He said foreign observers such as the European Union (EU), African Union (AU) and CODEO, among others, which witnessed previous elections had described elections in Ghana as relatively peaceful.

He said when compared with other elections elsewhere in Africa such as Senegal and DR Congo, however, it may not be the best, hence the need for improvement in the nation’s electoral process.

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong made these remarks when he delivered a peace lecture organised by the Akuapem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Nsukwao, a suburb of Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

Peace lecture

The peace lecture aimed at sensitising and mobilising the public, traditional rulers, community members and other relevant stakeholders towards maintaining a peaceful and orderly electoral process.

The event, on the theme: “The Role of the Church in the Promotion of Peaceful Elections in December 7”, was attended by clergymen from the presbytery and members from various congregations of the presbytery.

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said Ghana’s democracy must mature.

He indicated that democracy in general was being monetised, making it very difficult for the electorate to choose competent leaders to lead the country, adding that democracy was too expensive.

He called on all political parties to exercise caution and respect in their conduct during the electioneering so as to maintain peace before, during and after the December 7 polls.

Violence

Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong reminded both politicians and stakeholders of the need to curb the disturbing trend of political violence associated with past elections. With regard to voters, he said they should be discerning and vote for the best candidate without taking into consideration any financial or material gains.

Dr Opuni-Frimpong stated that the 2024 elections presented a significant opportunity to reverse the violent patterns witnessed during previous elections.

Violence-free elections

He appealed to political leaders to ensure that the forthcoming elections were conducted in a violence-free manner, stressing the importance of peaceful conduct in preserving the country’s democratic integrity.

For his part, the Chairperson of the Akuapem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Ebenezer Acheampong, said the role of the church in ensuring a peaceful elections could not be underestimated and that was why the church organised the event.

He stated that a peaceful election was a collective responsibility of the public, including stakeholders such as the Clergy.

Issue-based campaign

Rev. Asiedu also called on political party leaders to engage in respectful and issue-based campaigns to avoid inflammatory rhetoric that could incite or perpetuate violence. He urged Ghanaians to do away with partisan differences and rather unite in safeguarding the nation’s peace and democracy during the electioneering period.

The chief of Akwadum, Nana Osei Owusu Agyapong ll, commended the church for organising such events and called on other religious institutions to emulate it. He also called on the youth not to be involved in negative acts that would mar the December 7 polls.