President Akufo-Addo has asserted once more that the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) performance in the 2020 general elections was impacted by the battle against illegal mining, often known as galamsey.

On January 3, 2025, President Akufo-Addo said in his last state of the nation speech that the fight against galamsey has significant political ramifications.

"My party lost a number of parliamentary seats in the 2020 elections as a result of the battle against Galamsey, which ultimately affected the makeup of the eighth Parliament. This consequently impacted my second tenure as president and the way my policy program was carried out.

He said his government was still dedicated to fighting Galamsey in spite of these obstacles.

He emphasized how crucial it is to keep up the fight against illicit mining and protect the country's natural resources.“I pray that more and more of us get to embrace the need for the protection of our lands and waterbodies, and I welcome the many loud converts to the fight against Galamsey that suddenly appeared in the run-up to the 2024 elections,” he continued.

According to President Akufo-Addo, "we owe it to future generations of Ghanaians to extract our minerals in a manner that protects our lands and waterbodies."