Senior campaign advisor to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Kwabena Agyepong, asserts that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is strategically using the issue of illegal mining, popularly known as "galamsey," to deflect criticism away from their lack of campaign message two months to the general elections on December 7.

The former General Secretary of the NPP asserted that as the 2024 general elections get near, the heightened attention being paid to galamsey is a deliberate attempt to undermine the Akufo-Addo government.

Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, October 7, 2024, Kwabena Agyepong said the goal of the opposition party's intentional exaggeration of the illegal mining issue is to undermine public confidence in the Akufo-Addo administration.

Agyepong contended that despite galamsey being a huge issue, the NPP government has made tremendous attempts to combat it through a number of measures.

He added that the NDC is using its criticism as a distraction to draw attention away from its own shortcomings on the matter while in government.

“If you have genuine concerns, you will not be creating or orchestrating chaos in the country. At that time, all the people making noise, were they not in this country? So what has changed? That 60 days to elections, what has changed? In the heat of a campaign.

“We have elections; if it’s a genuine concern, then the proponents of that should have a plan and sit with the two key parties. What is happening is very sad for our country. We don’t do galamsey in Accra if you are serious about it; you've got to go to the areas and engage with the people,” Kwabena Agyepong is quoted in a report by citinewsroom.com.

Pressure on the government to take more aggressive measures against illicit mining has grown during the past few weeks. Demands for President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency on Galamsey have been led by Organized Labour, which has threatened to go on a national strike on October 10, 2024, if the government does not move more decisively.

Meanwhile, the government, in a statement dated October 7, 2024, announced its intention to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462) when Parliament reconvenes. This move aims to bolster the legal framework regulating mining activities in protected areas.

Furthermore, the government reiterated its commitment to declaring water bodies and forest reserves as “Red Zones” for mining, with stricter enforcement measures planned to eliminate illegal operations in these regions.

KA/GA

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