Akufo-Addo isn't prepared to end galamsey; his words are just politically designed bluster — Kwakye Ofosu

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, former Deputy Information Minister under the Mahama-led administration believes President Akufo-Addo’s fight against the galamsey menace is a gimmick.

He claims that, despite his promise to put his presidency on the line, the President has never shown any commitment to ending the activities of illegal miners.

In a Facebook post, spotted by Modernghana News, the former Minister intimated that galamsey is still on the rise due to the involvement of his appointees and party gurus.

“The galamsey fight has failed because of only ONE reason and it is President Akufo-Addo - he was never committed to any fight against the menace. His words on the subject constituted mere bluster designed for political effect and nothing more,” portion of his post reads.

He added, “for as long as his party folks profit from the destruction of our environment, he is okay with it and will not take any meaningful action except occasional gimmickry for more political effect.”

“If he wanted it stopped, it would have stopped a long time ago as he has sufficient resources to do so,” he stressed.

Recently, the debate about the activities of illegal mining known popularly galamsey has heightened.

This comes on the heels of the re-arrest of Chinese Galamsey Kingpin, Aisha Huang, and the recent release of a documentary titled "Destruction for Gold" by Multimedia Journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor, which revealed the alarming rate of polluted river bodies caused by illegal mining.

This prompted the president to convene a meeting with the National House of Chiefs and MMDCEs on the threat of galamsey to human existence on Wednesday, October 5 in Kumasi.

During the meeting, the President reaffirmed his willingness to combat illegal mining, thereby urging Ghanaians to support his vision. He also warned the MMDCEs not to engage in it, indicating that the laws will deal with any one caught.