A stanch member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Chief Executive Officer of Marrer Ghana Limited, Susatgad Boat Building and Fishing Industry, Mr. Novihoho Afaglo has stated that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia government has lost the moral grounds to fight galamsey in the country.
Mr. Afaglo alleges that Nana Akufo-Addo, his vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, now NPP Presidential candidate, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) functional executives and core members are all beneficiaries of the Galamsey and therefore fighting it is like pouring water on a stone.
He said this has made all efforts to combat Galamsey, or illegal mining fruitless because they same people who say they will ban it are neck deep in activities and reaping it benefit.
Mr.Afaglo said when President Akufo-Addo put his presidency on line to ban small-scale mining in 2017, ultimately led to the loss of four parliamentary seats in the 2020 elections.
The affected constituencies, including Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, Upper West Denkyira, Amenfi Central, and Prestea Huni Valley, had previously been NPP strongholds.
He argues that the ban had severe economic consequences for communities reliant on small-scale mining, leading to widespread criticism.
The government’s Operation Vanguard, a military-police task force established to combat galamsey, faced resistance in these communities, exacerbating resentment toward the NPP.
The CEO stated that critics, including Lawyer Appiah Danquah, contend that President Akufo-Addo’s administration has failed in its efforts to combat illegal mining
Challenges in combating galamsey
Mr. Afaglo indicated that ban on small-scale mining now have led to economic hardships in mining communities, the community resistance because most of the communities believes that the party has benefited from galamsey and turning to ban them from engaging in it is hypocritical
“Because this year is an election year and the party learning from what happened in 2020 which led to the lost four parliamentary seats, NPP would like to desist from a repeat hence will not show any serious commitment in the fight against galamsey,” he stated.
Overall, the NPP government’s struggles to effectively combat galamsey underscore the complexity of the issue and the need for a collaborative, nuanced approach.
“I have over the years written to the presidency advising them on how to educate small scale miners but no one has shown interest,” Mr. Afaglo
