Galamsey Economy: Adu Boahen’s Culpability Wanes In Seriousness As His Worst Crime Was Being An Overzealous Salesman For Ghana

The Former Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, was the latest victim of a Tiger Eye PI ‘sting’ – leading to him losing his position in government.

Whilst Adu Boahen has been vilified by some – and heavily defended by others – a closer look at the contents of the Tiger Eye PI video uncovers evidence of his good intentions during the meeting, even if it ended up being side-tracked by the nefarious intentions of the undercover operatives. 

Adu Boahen could simply have said he was too busy, which he certainly would have been at his position, and therefore couldn’t sit with this sham investor. But he made time, to meet them in an apparent attempt to land an investment for Ghana. 

The overriding theme of the meeting attests to this, as the Minister only accepted a sit-down on the understanding that his host, a supposed Arab businessman, was interested in investing in the country.

Despite being unaware this was an entire ruse designed by the team at Tiger Eye PI, the then Deputy Finance Minister never wavered off script and relentlessly pushed for the ‘investor’ to move their money into Ghana.

It’s important to zero in on this point, because it is easy to lose sight of that in the myriad of issues arising from the supposed exposé.

An economy like Ghana’s is heavily dependent on foreign investors coming in and running businesses. There is a severe lack of the needed capital locally, and it is even harder to find the know-how to run certain businesses crucial to the modern economy.

In such an environment, securing foreign investment is almost a religious commitment for public officials, which explains Boahen’s eagerness to land a deal.

Starting from this point, it’s clear to see the undercover Tiger Eye PI team manipulating this desire to set their trap.

At every stage of the conversation, the ‘Sheikh’ (supposed investor) suggests something shady, which then forces Boahen to respond, putting himself in a dire situation.

Even though Boahen has lost his job in the incumbent government as a result of an obvious political sacrifice, many discerning observers, including a respectable media watchdog, have condemned this method of investigative journalism as unacceptable and problematic.

Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, a respected media watchdog, has condemned Anas’ actions following the release of his documentary, describing his methods as ‘entrapment’ rather than legitimate investigative journalism.