The Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for the resignation of President Nana Akufo-Addo over his failure to eradicate illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
According to him, the situation has only worsened despite the president’s pledge to put his job on the line in the fight against galamsey.
“We heard President Akufo-Addo put his job on the line in 2017. What has he done since he failed to combat illegal mining?” Mr. Iddrisu questioned.
He added that in any civilized democracy, President Akufo-Addo would have resigned after failing to fulfil such a promise.
“He would have bowed out and said, ‘I have no honour because my pledge to fight galamsey has fallen flat.’”
The Tamale South legislator further criticised the president and his ministers for praising themselves despite failing to deliver on the promise to combat galamsey.
He stressed the need to hold leaders accountable for their public pledges, particularly when it comes to safeguarding the environment and the livelihoods of affected communities.
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.
Conversations on galamsey and its dire impact arose after the management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWL) announced severe water supply challenges in Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities due to galamsey activities in the Pra River.
In a press statement signed and issued by the Central Regional Office of GWL on Friday, August 30, it explained that water sources have been polluted beyond reasoning limits, affecting processing and distribution for domestic and industrial use.
It further mentioned that the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plantplant is producing only 7,500m³/day, a quarter of its capacity, causing severe inconvenience to customers.