Galamsey has worsened underMahama-NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has intimated that illegal mining, also known as galamsey, has worsened in the last three months.

According to the NPP, contrary to the assurances made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its leader, John Dramani Mahama in 2024 to end the menace when voted for, the canker has rather moved from bad to worse under their care.

Addressing a news conference at the party headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 the National Director of Communications of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, indicated that the NDC is complicit in the mess.

He said, “The NDC is complicit in the astronomical growth in illegal mining in our country because they campaigned actively in galamsey areas with coded promises.”

FOREST RESERVES

The NPP dreads the rate of destruction by galamsey activities, saying that all forest reserves may be depleted if the trend continues.

“We risk losing all our forest cover to galamsey, a situation that, when you ponder it, should cause a shiver in your spine,” the party lamented.

The NPP condemned the situation where alleged operatives and party members of the NDC prevented galamsey taskforce from doing their job of protecting forests and water bodies from galamsey activities.

REGAIN CONTROL

The NPP has, therefore, called on the government to be proactive to regain control over the forests and water bodies from the devouring hands of a few illegal miners.

Reminding President Mahama that he promised to revoke LI-2462, the NPP criticised him for going “back on his promise”.

Mr Ahiagbah said instead of the revocation, the government has offered to amend parts of the law, which take away the president’s power to approve applications for mining in forest reserves.He described the move as a tokenist approach, saying that it does not end mining in the forest reserve.

As such, the NPP recommended that “a complete repeal of the law is necessary and is what we must demand to ensure a total ban on mining in our forests.”

He urged citizens not to sit aloof, but to engage for the right things to be done.”We must engage. We cannot be indifferent. Therefore, we urge all Ghanaians to join us in this fight to protect our environment, our water bodies, and our democratic rights for ourselves and for our posterity.”

PERSECUTION 

The NPP has also accused the Mahama government of persecuting appointees of the previous administration.

The party is baffled that the Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, would choose the media to bastardise former appointees without any formal charges of wrongdoing.

The former boss of the Ghana Signal Bureau and former directors of the National Service Authority, as well as the officials at the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, have all been mentioned in various suspected cases of corruption during their tenures.

The Attorney General held a press conference last Monday to announce the state of investigations so far and the persons of interest, some of whom have not yet been apprehended.

The choice to announce to the public the guilt of some former appointees before officially charging them has ruffled the feathers of the opposition NPP, which has accused the government of regressing the civil and human rights of citizens.

Though the party said it was not against holding public servants accountable, it abhors the violations of citizens’ democratic rights.

The NPP said it is also against the clear strategy of the John Mahama administration to try individuals accused of potential acts of corruption “in the media rather than in the courtroom. This is persecution, not prosecution.”

The opposition NPP could not vouch for the interest of the Mahama government to fight corruption, citing the filing of nolle prosequi to free NDC members who were standing trial.

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