Presidential aspirant and flagbearer of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrew has promised to bring back illegal mining, popularly called Galamsey as a means of job creation when voted into office as president.

Speaking in an interview on GH Today on GHOne TV, he said, “I am going to bring back this galamsey but not illegal, I am going to show and guide people on how to do it, the Chinese nationals are in business, they are doing it.”

He is of the view that the ban on illegal mining has had an impact on the high rate of unemployment in the country.

According to him, 99% of Ghanaian youth are currently unemployed. The flagbearer of GUM has promised to address this situation if he wins the 2020 presidential elections.

He added that “At first, people were in galamsey operations and the banking sector, they were getting money from their jobs. The government (NPP) came and decided to stop this very galamsey, I know it was a good intention to save our river bodies but in a nutshell, the money that they took to even clean up our rivers, none of them has shown any good signs.”

Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrew who is also known as Osofo Kyereabosom alleged that some gurus in the ruling New Patriotic Party are actively involved in illegal mining despite its ban.

“They said no more galamsey but their own people are into operations. You sideline the youth just to bring your people into it, Chairman Wontumi is into it,” said Rev Andrew.

When questioned on the proof to his claim, Rev Andrew stated that he didn’t have any concrete evidence to prove that the New Patriotic Party’s Asanti Regional Chairman, Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) was into activities of illegal mining but said that his claim was an open secrete.