Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over how it is handling illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
He said there is currently “no fight” against the problem.
During a TV interview, the lawmaker questioned whether the government’s efforts against illegal mining are really working.
He said the polluted state of Ghana’s rivers and water bodies shows there has been little improvement.
“There’s no fight. Where is the fight?” he asked.
Mr Awuah said people should judge the fight against galamsey by the actual results, not by speeches or promises.
“You see, I have a Nigerian client who once jokingly told me, ‘I don’t reward effort. I reward results.’ Where are the results?” he stated.
According to him, many rivers and water bodies in Ghana are still badly polluted, even though authorities claim they are working hard to stop illegal mining.
“If the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) is doing well, our water bodies should be impacted by now.”
“The water bodies are there for everyone to see. They are coloured water bodies, heavily coloured water bodies,” he said.
The MP also urged the media to do more to hold leaders accountable and show the public the real situation on the ground.
“There are things that I believe that very respectfully the media, as the fourth estate of the realm, should be able to help regulate by way of pointing us to the right or the truth,” he said.
Mr Awuah defended the anti-galamsey efforts of the previous administration led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He said no recent government had fought illegal mining more strongly.
He mentioned the nationwide ban on small-scale mining during the Akufo-Addo administration as proof that the government was serious about dealing with illegal mining.
Mr Awuah also explained that new policies were introduced during that period to encourage responsible mining.
The MP stressed that mining is important to Ghana’s economy and should not be stopped completely. Instead, he said it should be properly controlled.
He added that stricter rules and better management are needed in the mining sector because many foreign mining companies take their profits out of Ghana.
According to him, Ghana should focus on responsible mining that protects the environment while also helping the economy grow.
“We need to sit down and find a way to ensure that people mine responsibly because we need people to also mine to grow our economy,” he said.
Mr Awuah further stated that although the Akufo-Addo and Mahamudu Bawumia administration made some mistakes in fighting galamsey, their successes were often ignored because of criticism.
He also claimed that the NDC used public disappointment over those problems to gain support and return to power.
“Rather than sitting down, identifying the shortfalls and encouraging the government to address those shortfalls, we made it seem as though the government had done nothing and the NDC took advantage of it and came into office,” he said.
