Party politics influences fight against galamsey

Former Information Minister Nana Akomea has blamed party politics for the failed fight against illegal mining, known as galamsey.

According to the former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South (1997-2009), politicians, because of election gains, openly approve of the activities of illegal miners, making the fight against this scourge extremely difficult.

Nana Akomea, Director of Inter-City STC, spoke on Peace FM (monitored by GhanaWeb) on Tuesday about former President John Mahama, who during the 2020 election campaign publicly promised to ensure the release of arrested illegal miners if elected president.

“Party politics has a negative impact on the things we do as a country. Ex-President Mahama invested a lot of resources in the fight against galamsey during his tenure around 2013. He set up a ministerial task force and supported the committee with a contingent of military personnel to combat the menace. But when he left power and campaigned as opposition leader for the 2020 elections, when he visited areas where illegal mining is going on, he promised the people that if they voted for him as president, he would ensure that anyone arrested for engaging in galamsey would be released.

This is what politics does to us as a nation. I remember after Mahama set up the task force, some illegal miners were arrested and sent to court. Because of political convenience and the fact that he was looking for votes, he approved the activities of the illegal miners.

“It was not Mahama alone who was guilty of this; the then Deputy National Communications Officer of the party, Kwaku Boahen, also went to galamsey sites and told them that we know the taskforce is harassing you; if you vote for us, we will allow you to work and give you more land to mine. We all know that galamsey is destroying our farmlands and water bodies but for political gains, politicians support the illegal activity. With this attitude, we cannot win the fight against galamsey,” Nana Akomea said.

Meanwhile, security analyst and consultant Prof. Kwesi Aning claims that galamsey, or illegal mining, is no longer just done by ordinary citizens but has now grown into a transnational organised crime.

He stressed that many foreigners are involved in these operations, which cause significant social unrest and environmental damage.

Speaking during an interview on Joy FM on Monday, Prof. Aning said the country’s rivers and other water bodies were suffering badly from the galamsey operations.

Prof. Aning noted that the problem is beyond the reach of ordinary people and has become worse. “We are talking about collusion involving various factors of the state and organised transnational crime networks,” he said.

Watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below: