'I visited galamsey sites and I became speechless'

'I visited galamsey sites and I became speechless' – John Dumelo

John Dumelo standing by a river at a galamsey site

John Dumelo, a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, has expressed worry about the extent of the damage being done to Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves by illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).

In a tweet shared on Friday, April 21, 2023, Dumelo said that he could not believe his eyes when he saw the extent of damage at galamsey sites he visited on Thursday, April 20, 2024.

“I visited galamsey sites yesterday and became speechless,” the actor cum politician wrote.

The tweet also had pictures of a demoralised Dumelo looking at heavily polluted water bodies in different forests.

Some of the plantations in the forests were also destroyed and could be seen lying in the water bodies.

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, has named members of parliaments and top government officials who are allegedly involved in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana.

Portions of a report on illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in Ghana by Prof Frimpong Boateng, indicated that these MPs and government officials were either directly involved in galamsey or were using their power to protect relations who were involved in the menace.

The 36-page report, which Prof Frimpong addressed to the Chief of Staff and the Ghana Police Service, according to myjoyonline.com, implicated the former MP for Manso Nkwanta, Joseph Albert Quarm; director of operations at the presidency, Laud Commey; executive assistant and head of social media at the presidency, Charles Nii Teiko; and Frank Asiedu Bekoe, director of political affairs at the Office of the Chief of Staff.

Prof Frimpong Boateng also accused the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, of hatching a plot to bring him down over his (Frimpong Boateng’s) fight against the menace.

Some of the people the former science and technology minister implicated including Laud Commey and Oppong Nkrumah have come out to refute his allegations.

View Dumelo’s tweet below: