A senior campaign advisor to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has accused the opposition NDC of using the issue of illegal mining or “galamsey,” as a political strategy to divert attention from their lack of a concrete campaign message ahead of the 2024 general elections.
According to Kwabena Agyepong, the NDC is deliberately focusing on galamsey to undermine the Akufo-Addo administration’s accomplishments.
Speaking during an interview on Monday, October 7, 2024, Agyepong argued that the opposition’s renewed emphasis on the galamsey issue is a calculated effort to sway public opinion against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the elections draw near.
He alleged that the NDC is trying to paint a negative image of the current government by amplifying the challenges related to illegal mining.
Although Mr Agyepong acknowledged that illegal mining remains a serious concern, he emphasized that the NPP government has made significant strides in addressing the issue through various policies and enforcement measures.
He pointed to the government’s efforts to clamp down on galamsey, including the introduction of interventions to safeguard the country’s natural resources.
Mr Agyepong further argued that the NDC’s criticism of the NPP’s handling of illegal mining is an attempt to obscure the opposition party’s own failures in dealing with the problem during their time in office.
He stressed that the NPP has taken more decisive action on the matter compared to previous governments.
The former NPP General Secretary concluded by urging Ghanaians not to be swayed by the NDC’s tactics and to focus on the broader achievements of the NPP government as the 2024 elections approach.
“…[If you have genuine concerns] You will not be creating or orchestrating chaos in the country…At that time all the people making noise, were they not in this country? So what has changed? With 60 days to elections, what has changed? In the heat of a campaign.”
“We have elections, if it’s a genuine concern, then the proponents of that should have a plan and sit with the two key parties.
“What is happening is very sad for our country. We don’t do galamsey in Accra if you are serious about it, you’ve to go to the areas and engage with the people,” he stated.
