Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, has rebuffed suggestions that the government's onslaught against illegal mining impacted their performance in the 2020 elections.

Speaking on Metro TV, the Member of Parliament for the Sekondi Constituency refused to accept these assertions, explaining that the data does not support this conclusion.

Egyapa Mercer observed that in the constituencies where the NPP's parliamentary candidates lost to the NDC, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo came out on top in the presidential race.

He said on Good Morning Ghana that the result of the 2020 elections cannot be used as the basis for the government's failure to effectively deal with the galamsey menace.

"I'm told that the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources made some comments to the effect that the NPP lost seats because of the galamsey fight. I don't think that is the case at all because in all those cases where reference is made, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo actually won. So it certainly would be reasons other than the fight against galamsey that caused the government to lose seats in those constituencies.

"It certainly cannot be the case that the government is not effective because of politics or the 2024 elections. The data does not support that assertion. If the president lost in all those constituencies and the MPs lost, then the assertion would have been consistent with the data, but the truth is that Nana Akufo-Addo won in those constituencies," he said.

The government is under immense pressure to crack down on illegal mining activities in the country.

Since Thursday, October 3, 2024, hundreds of Ghanaians have been marching in the streets of Accra to demand major and decisive action from the government over the menace.





EK