Galamsey: Mahama’s CSO engagement a publicity gimmick amid failing fight – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has accused President John Mahama’s administration of engaging in a “publicity gimmick” to mask what it calls a failed fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

In a statement issued on October 6, 2025, the Minority Caucus said the President’s recent engagement with selected civil society organisations (CSOs) on illegal mining was “a calculated attempt to downplay the urgency of Ghana’s deepening environmental crisis.”

“It is clear that the encounter with the CSOs was a publicity stunt calculated to cover up the Government’s failed attempts at dealing with illegal mining,” the statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, read.

The group criticised government’s handling of the galamsey menace, citing worsening turbidity levels in rivers, soil contamination, and forest degradation as evidence that the situation continues to deteriorate. It referenced a recent joint report by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which confirmed heavy metal contamination in food and soil samples.

According to the Minority, President Mahama’s government has shown a lack of political will to combat illegal mining, arguing that its current actions are merely rebranded versions of policies initiated under former President Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Instead of dealing decisively with this looming crisis, the Government has resorted to publicity gimmicks to sway the minds of unsuspecting Ghanaians from its failures,” the statement continued.

The caucus detailed measures taken under the previous NPP administration, including the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Operation Vanguard, and the creation of “Red Zones” for water bodies, as examples of what it described as “a coordinated and determined” approach that the current government has failed to sustain.

It further warned that Ghana’s environmental and public health situation is worsening, with river turbidity levels reaching “dangerously high” levels and forest reserves turning into mining enclaves.

The Minority called on civil society, traditional authorities, and religious leaders to speak up against the government’s handling of illegal mining and urged the Mahama administration to move “beyond rhetoric” and demonstrate “real political will.”

“The fight against illegal mining can only be won through bold, consistent, and effective action. Anything less would be a grave abdication of duty to the people of Ghana and to future generations,” the statement concluded.

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