Take Akufo-Addo out of galamsey talk; it’s been 24 months since you took over – Miracles Aboagye

The Director of Communications for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has challenged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to take responsibility for the fight against illegal mining, insisting that the party can no longer blame former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the worsening situation.

Mr Aboagye described the current administration's handling of illegal mining as a failure to fulfil its campaign promises, arguing that its performance so far had fallen short of the expectations it created among Ghanaians.

"This is the evidence of how spectacular this NDC government has failed the people of this country on the back of their own promises and words,"he said

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, October 31, Mr Aboagye said he was frustrated by attempts to bring the former President into discussions about the current state of illegal mining.

“One of the things I hate, and it pisses me off when it comes to the galamsey conversation, is when anybody tries to bring Akufo-Addo into it. Stop. Don't do it. Take him out. It's been 24 months,” he said.

Mr Aboagye recalled the intense criticism directed at the former President over illegal mining, saying he was vilified and subjected to public condemnation by political opponents and their allies.

He also referred to demonstrations staged in Accra by the opposition and its supporters, which he said lasted for a week, describing them as part of the pressure mounted on the Akufo-Addo administration over its handling of the galamsey menace.

“He was vilified; called names. He was described in all manner of ways because of galamsey. For the first time in the history of this country, a political party and its allies staged demonstrations for a week non-stop on the streets of Accra,” he said.

He argued that the NDC had shifted from presenting illegal mining as a collective national challenge to placing responsibility squarely on the former President and his government. He said this distinction was important because the party had previously insisted that galamsey was a government failure that required political leadership to address.

Expressing frustration with what he described as attempts to shift the focus of the discussion, Mr Aboagye said: “We are beating about the bush and making it look like this galamsey conversation we are having is some Ghana problem and some citizens' conversation. No, it's not,” he said.

He accused the NDC of previously shifting responsibility for illegal mining onto the Akufo-Addo administration, arguing that the party had convinced Ghanaians that galamsey was a problem created by the former President and his government.

Mr Aboagye said this had raised expectations that the NDC would adopt a different approach to tackling illegal mining after winning the 2024 general election.

He maintained that the NDC had created the impression that it had a clear solution to the problem and that illegal mining would end once it assumed office.

“So, the people are clear in their minds that, unlike the NPP and the Akufo-Addo administration, which considered galamsey a national problem, the NDC believes it is a government problem and that once it assumes office, galamsey will end,” he said.

Mr Aboagye said he had consistently questioned the NDC's commitment to the fight since the party assumed office, arguing that its current performance did not reflect the expectations it created among the electorate.

He further accused the party of having a history of enabling illegal mining in Ghana, claiming that its involvement in the sector dated back to 2009.

“The NDC has always been an enabler of galamsey in this country since 2009. They have always been. Their history is there. Their records are there. Their facts are there,” he stated.

He said he had previously undertaken a project to document the extent of illegal mining and had presented what he described as evidence, including video footage, to support his claims about the party's record.

Mr Aboagye further alleged that the galamsey situation had consistently worsened whenever the NDC had been in power, insisting that the party had not demonstrated a convincing record of successfully tackling the menace.

“The galamsey situation always worsens when NDC comes to power. That is a fact. And the government that has never been able to show any proof of properly fighting galamsey is always the NDC,” he claimed.

To support his argument, he referred to comments he attributed to former Environment Minister Mahama Ayariga in 2013, when he said the then minister had expressed doubts about the possibility of winning the fight against illegal mining.

According to Mr Aboagye, Mr Ayariga had acknowledged the involvement of several influential groups, including pastors, traditional leaders and assembly members, in activities associated with illegal mining.

He further claimed that the former minister had suggested legalising illegal mining because of the difficulties involved in controlling the practice.

Mr Aboagye argued that these comments reflected what he described as the NDC's longstanding approach to the galamsey challenge.

He said the government could not continue to appeal for collective responsibility without demonstrating concrete action against those involved in illegal mining and the networks that facilitate their operations.

Mr Aboagye also compared the current administration's efforts with those of the previous NPP government, arguing that the Akufo-Addo administration had undertaken more measures to tackle illegal mining.

“Let nobody pretend and be hypocritical. This government hasn't done even 50% of what the Akufo-Addo government did in the fight against galamsey,” he said.