Former Minister for Information, Nana Akomea, has said partisan politics is partly responsible for the unsuccessful fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to the former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South from 1997 to 2009, politicians, because of electoral gains, openly condone the activities of the illegal miners, which makes the fight against the menace extremely difficult.

Speaking on Peace FM on Tuesday, monitored by GhanaWeb, Nana Akomea, who's the Managing Director of the Inter-City STC, cited ex-president John Mahama, who during the 2020 electioneering campaign publicly promised to ensure the release of arrested illegal miners if he is elected as president.

"Partisan politics is negatively affecting things we do as a country. ex-President Mahama, while in office around 2013, injected a lot of resources into the fight against galamsey. He set up a ministerial taskforce and supported the committee with a contingent of military personnel to fight the menace. But when he left power and was campaigning as opposition leader ahead of the 2020 election, when he visited areas where illegal mining is ongoing, he promised the people that should they vote for him to become president, all those who have been arrested for engaging in galamsey, he will ensure they are released.

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

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

Meanwhile, security analyst and consultant, Prof. Kwesi Aning, has claimed that galamsey, or illegal mining, has gone beyond ordinary citizens to now become a transnational organized crime.

He underlined how many foreigners are engaged in these operations, which are causing significant social unrest and environmental damage.

During a Monday interview on Joy FM, Prof. Aning said the nation’s rivers and other bodies of water are suffering greatly from galamsey operations.

Prof. Aning noted that the issue is beyond the reach of regular people and has gotten worse. “We are talking about collusion involving various factors from the state and organized transnational crime networks,” he stated.

KA

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