Ghana’s efforts to curb illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, lack a clear plan and policy coherence, a legal scholar has said, criticizing the government’s approach one year into office.
Speaking on The Forum, on Asaase Radio on Saturday (10 January) Ishaq Ibrahim, a lecturer at the UPSA Law School and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legal directorate, said the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which campaigned on tackling galamsey, has failed to implement a comprehensive strategy.
Inconsistencies
Ibrahim cited inconsistencies in government policy, noting that while the Interior Minister announced that foreign nationals engaged in illegal mining would be deported, the Attorney General later denied the existence of such a policy.
“Galamsey was just a con strategy. They had no plans for galamsey,” Ibrahim said. “When they were in opposition, they marketed it as an existential threat, and the moment they took power, the way they are dealing with it tells you they are not ready to solve it.”
“If the very person who is suffering has no appetite to prosecute them, why would their native country have an interest in prosecuting them?” he asked.
He also highlighted the revocation of mining rights in forest reserves as an example of the government’s limited commitment to addressing the problem, arguing that the measures taken so far indicate a lack of genuine interest in resolving illegal mining.
NDC reacts
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected claims that government efforts against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, have failed to match strong political rhetoric.
Matthew Kojo Njourkone, Ashanti Regional Director of Interparty Relations and CSOs for the NDC, said results on the ground reflect sustained and systematic action rather than cosmetic enforcement.
“There is no mismatch between our message and performance,” he said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (7 January).
According to him, the Mahama administration inherited extensive damage caused by what he described as a surge in mining licenses issued shortly before the previous government exited office.
“You cannot expect a government to clean eight years of damage in a few months,” he argued.
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