Kwabena Agyepong, a senior campaign advisor to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of using the illegal mining issue, known as “galamsey,” as a political tactic to distract voters ahead of the December 7 general elections. Speaking during an interview on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Monday, October 7, 2024, Agyepong alleged that the NDC is deliberately amplifying the galamsey issue to undermine the Akufo-Addo administration and divert attention from their lack of a clear campaign message.
Agyepong acknowledged the seriousness of galamsey but argued that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has made notable progress in addressing the problem through various initiatives. He criticized the NDC for focusing on the issue now, claiming that their past failures in tackling illegal mining discredit their current criticism. “At that time, all the people making noise—were they not in this country? So what has changed in the heat of a campaign?” he questioned.
He further suggested that if the NDC were genuinely concerned about illegal mining, they would have presented a solid plan and engaged with the government to tackle the issue collectively. “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,” Agyepong said, adding that real action should be taken in the affected areas, not in the capital.
Recently, the government has faced increased pressure from Organised Labour to take stronger action against galamsey, with threats of a nationwide strike if no significant action is taken by October 10, 2024. In response, Agyepong argued that the NDC’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has failed to propose any clear policies on the matter, contrasting this with Dr. Bawumia’s specific plans to combat illegal mining.
The government has also announced plans to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462) when Parliament reconvenes, aiming to strengthen the legal framework governing mining in protected areas. They also reiterated their commitment to designating water bodies and forest reserves as “Red Zones” for mining, with stricter enforcement to curb illegal operations.
Agyepong concluded by reaffirming the NPP government’s commitment to resolving the galamsey crisis, accusing the NDC of politicizing the issue to gain political advantage as the elections draw closer.
Source: Dailymailgh