The Presidential Hopeful of the New Vision Movement, Kofi Koranteng, has asserted that neither the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nor the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is willing to see the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) through.
According to him, the root issue is not galamsey itself, but rather a failure in leadership.
He argued that both political parties have worsened the problem rather than take the necessary actions to effectively combat the problem.
“We have never had a galamsey problem. We don’t have a galamsey problem. It is leadership that has failed. It is not galamsey that is bad,” he said on Joy News.
Mr Kwarteng stressed that the menace has persisted through both the NPP and NDC administrations and has only intensified over time.
“This government or the NDC government will not solve the galamsey problem. They cannot, they will not. They will talk and kiss and hug the problem but they will not solve it. These are two criminal entities that have taken over Ghana.
“People are dying from the levels of toxicity in our foods and water. The tubers absorb the acid and the mercury and all the other heavy metals.
“We are at the point where the cancer has metricized. It is full-blown cancer beyond the fourth stage. It’s terminal and at this point, no amount of chemotherapy will help, no amount of radiation will help. Maybe we could go in and take out the tumor. Our only solution is the right leadership,” he added.
According to him, Ghanaians cannot wait until after the elections for the policies outlined in the manifestos of the NPP and National Democratic Congress to be implemented to address the galamsey crisis.
This follows John Mahama’s pledge to deploy Artificial Intelligence to fight illegal mining activities if he is elected president in the 2024 elections.
Dr Bawumia has also pledged to introduce a revised approach to curb illegal mining and preserve confiscated equipment, especially excavators if elected.
However, Dr Ing. Ashigbey said it is important for politicians to acknowledge the galamsey crisis and deal with it decisively.
He criticized politicians for their involvement in illegal mining activities, citing companies such as Akonta Mining and Heritage Imperial, which have evaded accountability despite numerous petitions.