Managing Director of the State Transport Company (STC), Nana Akomea, has accused the former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of contributing to the challenges faced in the fight against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the country.
Nana Akomea contends that the promise made by Mr Mahama, who is the flagbearer of the NDC, and other proponents of his party to pardon illegal small-scale miners in the event of an NDC government is a significant factor hindering the efforts of the President Akufo-Addo government in combating galamsey.
He further states that Mahama’s promise is a strategic move to secure votes, and the data indicates that it was effective for the NDC in the galamsey-prone regions of the country during the 2020 election, as reported by 3news.com.
”Don’t go there and be telling the people that when they vote for [NDC] you will remove these people from jail to come and do galamsey, when you do that we will not win the fight against galamsey.
“All the governments that have come have fought galamsey but we all know the efforts have not yielded the results. We undermine our own fight when you have a party going to incite people against government telling them that ‘when you vote for you all those who have been arrested will be released,” he is quoted to have said in an interview on TV3’s New Day on December 5, 2023.
Akomea, a former MP and minister of state, added, “When you tell people this, you are undermining the fight, it is part of the reasons why we have failed”.
John Dramani Mahama, ahead of the December 7, 2020 elections, pledged to grant a general amnesty to individuals convicted for offenses related to small-scale mining if he were re-elected as president.
During an engagement with the chiefs and residents of Abesewa in the Ahafo Ano South East constituency on Tuesday, November 10, 2023, at the commencement of his five-day campaign tour of the Ashanti Region, Mahama reiterated his commitment to providing a second chance to those convicted for galamsey (small-scale mining) offenses.
The former president argued that individuals funding galamsey activities are often spared legal consequences, while the youth engaged by these financiers, seeking a means of livelihood, are the ones frequently apprehended and imprisoned.
He further stated that a future NDC (National Democratic Congress) government, under his leadership, would reassess the small-scale mining policy to bring regularization to the activities of illegal small-scale miners.
“Because of the fight against galamsey, some of the youth have been arrested. But with our new policy on small-scale mining when we come into power, we are going to start afresh.
“We know they have offended the law but I believe that these galamsey operators are remorseful so we will give them another chance,” he said.