Haruna Mohammed
The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama over what he described as a flawed and inconsistent approach to tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
His comments come after the government announced plans to engage civil society organisations (CSOs) in a renewed dialogue on addressing the menace.
According to Mr. Mohammed, this latest move contradicts President Mahama’s earlier position on the matter.
“This clearly shows that the President is not committed to the fight against galamsey. When he was in office, he had enough time to consult civil society, who were already raising concerns and pushing for solutions. But he failed to act on their proposals,” he said.
He recalled that civil society groups had previously recommended measures such as declaring a state of emergency and amending sections of the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) governing small-scale mining—proposals that then-President Mahama acknowledged but never implemented.
“So, if today the President says he is inviting CSOs to the table, it only proves he has not been clear or sincere with Ghanaians about how he intends to deal with galamsey.
“This is a clear departure from his own earlier position, and instead of being praised, he should apologise to the people of Ghana,” he added.
By Vera Owusu Sarpong