Former President John Dramani Mahama has sharply criticized President Nana Akufo-Addo for his handling of the illegal mining crisis, known as galamsey, calling for his resignation amid widespread disappointment over the government’s failure to address the issue.
Speaking on galamsey issues John Mahama expressed frustration over President Akuffo Addo ineffective measures to combat illegal mining, stating that many of the President’s own party executives are implicated in these activities.
Mahama emphasized that the political will to combat galamsey is lacking.
“How can you expect him to fight galamsey when his own people are involved in it?” he asked, highlighting the irony of a government that publicly denounces illegal mining while its members benefit from it.
He further lamented the state of Ghana’s rivers, which have been heavily polluted due to illegal mining activities.
“Our river bodies are still the coffee color they wear,” he remarked, referencing the environmental degradation caused by the unchecked actions of those mining illegally.
“They all know who is doing it, yet the machines used for this destruction are left unchecked.”
Mahama’s remarks come against the backdrop of rising concerns about the impact of galamsey on both the environment and the economy.
He argued that the government’s failure to act decisively not only threatens the nation’s natural resources but also places an undue burden on ordinary Ghanaians.
Akufo-Addo has failed, he should have resigned – Mahama#TV3GH #StopGalamseyNow pic.twitter.com/6a628oYFwG
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) September 25, 2024