Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged protesters to relocate their demonstrations to mining regions rather than staging them in the capital.

During a discussion on TV3 NewDay, he pointed out that the illegal mining activities, known as galamsey, are carried out by local residents, not the government, making protests in Accra unnecessary.

Poku expressed disappointment over the protests in the capital, stating that the real issues lie in the mining areas where the activities occur.

He criticized National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament for opposing government initiatives to gain political advantage.

He referenced incidents from 2019 to 2020, claiming that individuals involved in galamsey paid residents in various constituencies to vote against the NPP.

He noted that Upper West Denkyira, which historically has not supported the NDC, now has an NDC MP who allegedly encouraged locals to vote for his party in exchange for allowing galamsey operations.

Poku concluded by highlighting that the rise of the galamsey problem is partly due to a lack of genuine partnerships in addressing it.