Imani Center for Policy & Education

19/08/2026

SYPALA 2026 IS ALMOST HERE! 🌍🔥

Africa’s next generation of thinkers, leaders and changemakers is getting ready.

From 24–27 August 2026, the 12th Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) will bring together 100 young Africans at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) for four days of learning, debate, connection and bold conversations about Africa’s future.

This year, we explore:

AFRICA’S ASCENT: Forging Resilient Economies & Inclusive Governance

SYPALA is a space where ideas are challenged, perspectives are exchanged and young people are equipped with the knowledge, networks and confidence to help shape a more prosperous and free Africa.

And we are proud to have the support of our Academy Sponsors, whose commitment is helping make this experience possible:

Star Oil | UPSA | GoldBod | Axis Pension Trust | Awake | Newmont | Imperial Homes | SSNIT | NPA

Your support is an investment in Africa’s next generation.

📅 24–27 August 2026
📍 University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA)

The countdown is on.
The conversations are coming.
Africa’s ascent starts here.

19/08/2026

5 DAYS TO SYPALA 2026! 🔥

The wait is almost over.

In just 5 days, the Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) returns for another powerful gathering of young Africans ready to learn, challenge ideas, exchange perspectives and shape the future of the continent.

The theme for SYPALA 2026 is:

“Africa’s Ascent: Forging Resilient Economies and Inclusive Governance.”

Four days.
Big ideas.
Bold conversations.
100 Students & Young Professionals.
One powerful community.

📅 24–27 August 2026
📍 University of Professional Studies, Accra

From across Africa, the next generation of thinkers, leaders and changemakers is getting ready.

SYPALA is more than an academy. It is a platform designed to equip young Africans with the ideas, knowledge and networks to become future visionaries and leaders who will carry the torch of liberty and blaze the trail of prosperity. Previous SYPALA seminars have been held together with the Ashesi University from 2007-2009. In 2010, it was held at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania. The 2011 edition was held at the Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria and in 2012 at the Catholic University of Mozambique. 2013’s edition was held in Kenya at Kabarak University and for 2014, this was held at the University of Cape town Graduate Business School, South Africa. The 2015 and 2016 edition were held in University of Ghana and the Mensvic Hotel respectively.

The countdown is on. Africa’s ascent starts with its people.

18/08/2026

⏳ 6 DAYS TO SYPALA 2026!

The wait is almost over.

In 6 days, the Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) returns for another powerful gathering of young Africans ready to learn, challenge ideas, exchange perspectives and shape the future of the continent.

Four days.
Big ideas.
Bold conversations.
One powerful community.

📅 24–27 August 2026
📍 University of Professional Studies, Accra

Africa’s next generation of thinkers, leaders and changemakers is getting ready.

18/08/2026

IMANI Boss Rejects Claims Lands Ministry Meeting Was Triggered by Adamus Lease Revocation

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has rejected claims that IMANI’s recent engagement with the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry was prompted by the revocation of Adamus Resources’ mining leases, describing the suggestion as misleading.

Speaking on Gold Morning Conversation, Mr Cudjoe explained that the engagement formed part of IMANI’s broader series of policy discussions with government ministries. Following the meeting, IMANI undertook a diagnostic assessment for the Lands Ministry and intends to submit a comprehensive report when the exercise is completed.

On the Adamus matter, Mr Cudjoe emphasised:
🔸 The importance of regulatory certainty for legitimate investors.
🔸 The need to engage investors before resorting to licence revocation where concerns can be addressed.
🔸 The importance of balancing enforcement with investor confidence.

“Where difficulties arise with an investor, revoking a licence should not necessarily be the state’s first response.”

IMANI continues to support firm enforcement of Ghana’s mining and environmental laws while advocating for predictable, transparent and accountable regulation that protects both the public interest and legitimate investment.

Read here:
🔗 https://radiogoldlive.com/imani-boss-rejects-claims-lands-ministry-meeting-was-triggered-by-adamus-lease-revocation/

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has rejected suggestions that the organisation’s recent meeting with Lands and Natural Resources Minister

17/08/2026

IMANI President Franklin Cudjoe has called on the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, to reassess the revocation of Adamus Resources’ mining leases, raising concerns about the process followed by the Minerals Commission.

While commending the Minister’s efforts to combat illegal mining and protect Ghana’s natural resources, Mr Cudjoe cautioned that the Adamus case could undermine confidence in legitimate mining operations if regulatory powers are exercised without due process.

Mr Cudjoe emphasised:
🔸 The need for strict adherence to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
🔸 Concerns over the process leading to the revocation of Adamus’ mining leases.
🔸 The need to protect legitimate investors from arbitrary regulatory action.
🔸 The importance of preserving the integrity of Ghana’s mining regulatory framework.

“The Minister must protect his reputation from whimsical, plundering acts cloaked as legal actions by agencies like the Minerals Commission.”

Mr Cudjoe has urged Minister Kofi Buah to dissociate himself from what he describes as an improper process and to reassess the Minerals Commission’s handling of the matter.

For IMANI, effective regulation must go hand in hand with due process, institutional accountability and predictable treatment of investors.

Read here:
🔗 https://www.adomonline.com/franklin-cudjoe-urges-lands-minister-to-reassess-revocation-of-adamus-resources-license/

IMANI Africa President Franklin Cudjoe has condemned the revocation of Adamus Mining License and called upon Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel

17/08/2026

The GH¢10.94-to-US$1 Paradox: Macroeconomic Gains, the Import Subsidy Trap and the Threat to Youth Employment

Our latest analysis examines the implications of Ghana’s recent macroeconomic stabilisation for domestic production, industrial competitiveness and youth employment.

The appreciation of the Cedi has important macroeconomic benefits, including lower import costs and improved purchasing power for businesses that depend on imported machinery and industrial inputs. However, where domestic production remains constrained by high energy costs, infrastructure deficits and other structural inefficiencies, a stronger currency can also increase the competitiveness of imported finished goods relative to locally produced alternatives.

The analysis by IMANI associate, John Sitsofe considers:
🔸 The relationship between exchange rate stability and industrial competitiveness.
🔸 The impact of domestic production costs on Ghanaian manufacturers.
🔸 The distinction between productive capital imports and finished consumer imports.
🔸 The implications for youth employment and local enterprise development.
🔸 Policy options for strategic import substitution without reigniting inflation.

“The real killer of local industrial jobs is not just the exchange rate, but the unyielding domestic cost of production.”

IMANI’s assessment is that the policy challenge is not simply to determine whether the Cedi should be stronger or weaker. The priority should be to address the structural constraints that make production in Ghana less competitive, while ensuring that macroeconomic stability translates into investment, industrial capacity, local value addition and employment.

Read the full analysis on our website:
🔗 https://imaniafrica.org/2026/08/the-gh%c2%a210-94-to-us1-paradox-macroeconomic-gains-the-import-subsidy-trap-and-the-threat-to-youth-employment/

A recent assertion circulating among Ghanaian youth and entrepreneurs poses a fundamental economic question: Is the current exchange rate of approximately 10.94 Cedis to the US Dollar literally killing local jobs by making imported products drastically cheaper than locally manufactured goods? To ans...

14/08/2026

Over 4,000 Excavators Held at Ports as Government Tightens Mining Equipment Controls

More than 4,000 excavators are currently being held at Ghana’s ports as government implements a new clearance, documentation and tracking regime aimed at preventing heavy equipment from being diverted into illegal mining.

Under the new system, importers must establish the intended owner, end user and operational destination of excavators before the machines can be cleared. Approved equipment can subsequently be fitted with tracking technology and geographically restricted to declared operating areas.

The new controls focus on:
🔸 Identifying the owners and end users of imported excavators.
🔸 Establishing where each machine will operate.
🔸 Tracking equipment and restricting it to approved locations.
🔸 Closing loopholes in the mining equipment supply chain.
🔸 Holding commercial importers accountable for legitimate end users.

“Over 4,000 excavators are still sitting, waiting for the owners to begin.”

The policy seeks to shift the fight against galamsey from chasing excavators after they reach mining sites to establishing where the machines are going before they leave the ports.

The next test will be whether government can maintain an uninterrupted trail from port clearance to ownership, concession and actual location, while enforcing sanctions when equipment breaches its approved operating area.

Read the full article on our website:
🔗 https://imaniafrica.org/2026/08/over-4000-excavators-held-at-ports-as-government-tightens-mining-equipment-controls/

More than 4,000 excavators are currently being held at Ghana’s ports as government enforces a new clearance, documentation and tracking regime intended to prevent heavy earthmoving equipment from being diverted into illegal mining. Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah ...

14/08/2026

Illegal Mining Has Destroyed About 8,900 Hectares of Ghana’s Forest Reserves

About 8,900 hectares of Ghana’s forest reserves have been completely degraded, largely through illegal mining, according to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources-Ghana. The affected area is equivalent to approximately 12,500 football fields, underscoring the scale of the environmental crisis.

The disclosure was made during a strategic working visit and policy dialogue between the Ministry and IMANI Africa, where the Ministry also presented enforcement figures as of July 2026.

The Ministry reported:
🔸 258 suspects arrested.
🔸 200 excavators seized and 34 immobilised.
🔸 1,469 pumping machines seized and 1,259 immobilised.
🔸 950 changfan machines seized and 774 immobilised.
🔸 285 motorbikes and 48 tricycles seized.
🔸 801 structures immobilised.

“What you are looking at is not an earthquake. It is a forest reserve.”

The critical question now is not only how many illegal miners have been arrested or machines seized, but how much of the 8,900 hectares has actually been reclaimed, replanted and permanently protected from renewed illegal mining.

Read the full article on our website:
🔗 https://imaniafrica.org/2026/08/illegal-mining-has-destroyed-about-8900-hectares-of-ghanas-forest-reserves/

About 8,900 hectares of Ghana’s forest reserves have been completely degraded, largely through illegal mining, according to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. The affected area is equivalent to approximately 12,500 football fields, highlighting the enormous scale of environmental destruc...

14/08/2026

‘No Mining Company Is Bigger than Ghana’ – Lands Minister Defends Action Against Adamus Resources

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has defended regulatory action against Adamus Resources, insisting that mining companies must respect Ghana’s institutions and regulatory requirements.

Speaking during a strategic policy engagement with IMANI Africa, the Minister said the Minerals Commission had a duty to act on findings concerning alleged mining without required permits, unauthorised operators and non cooperation with regulatory investigations.

In his remarks, the Minister emphasised:
🔸 The Minerals Commission’s role as the industry regulator.
🔸 The need for all mining companies to comply with statutory requirements.
🔸 Enforcement of mining laws regardless of the size of an operator.
🔸 The need for predictable and fair treatment of legitimate investors.

“We have a country. We have institutions. The Minerals Commission is supposed to be the policeman in the industry.”

While defending the Ministry’s actions, Hon. Kofi Buah said the government remains open to engaging Adamus if the company demonstrates a genuine willingness to correct identified breaches and prevent their recurrence.

Franklin Cudjoe also urged the Ministry to provide a final pathway for the company to regularise its operations, stressing that Ghanaian investors should receive the same institutional protection and fairness extended to foreign capital.

Read the full article on our website:
🔗 https://imaniafrica.org/2026/08/no-mining-company-is-bigger-than-ghana-lands-minister-defends-action-against-adamus-resources/

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has mounted a forceful defence of regulatory action against Adamus Resources, insisting that no mining company should be allowed to operate as though it is more powerful than the Ghanaian state. Kofi Buah said the action followed regu...

14/08/2026

Government Moves to Cut Large Scale Mining Leases From 30 To 20 Years

Government is proposing to reduce the maximum initial duration of large scale mining leases in Ghana from 30 years to 20 years as part of a wider overhaul of the country’s minerals and mining regime.

The reform, outlined by Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah during a policy engagement with IMANI Africa, is intended to prevent concession holders from tying up Ghana’s mineral resources for decades without sufficiently developing them.

The proposed reforms include:
🔸 Reducing the maximum initial large scale mining lease from 30 to 20 years.
🔸 Tightening reconnaissance, prospecting and exploration licence requirements.
🔸 Introducing stricter work obligations and timelines for concession holders.
🔸 Giving mining communities greater input through proposed District Mining Committees.
🔸 Requiring mining companies to enter into community development agreements.

“The whole of Ghana has basically been given out and people are just sitting on concessions for 30, 40 years. They are not doing anything.”

The proposed changes seek to reshape how Ghana’s mineral concessions are controlled, how long rights can be held and what licence holders must do to retain them. The next critical test will be the legislative process in Parliament.

Read the full article on our website:
🔗 https://imaniafrica.org/2026/08/government-moves-to-cut-large-scale-mining-leases-from-30-to-20-years/

Government is seeking to reduce the maximum initial duration of large scale mining leases in Ghana from 30 years to 20 years as part of a wider overhaul of the country’s minerals and mining regime. Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah says the proposed reform is intend...