Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Communications for the Bawumia Campaign, has challenged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration over its approach to illegal mining, accusing the government of lacking concrete plans to combat the environmental crisis. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, November 8, he urged authorities to abandon theatrical responses.
“It’s time for this government to pause, stop the theatrics, and admit the reality,” Aboagye stated. “We all make mistakes. Galamsey has defeated this NDC government before they even started the fight. The government is completely down when it comes to this fight.”
The communications director recounted how restrictions on small-scale mining operations proved temporary. “Immediately the ban was lifted, the criminals went back. Six months later, the whole problem started again,” he noted. He referenced the previous administration’s efforts, including a 20-month ban on small-scale mining that temporarily improved water quality before operations resumed.
Aboagye argued that by 2021, public perception shifted dramatically regarding political parties and illegal mining. “By 2021, galamseyers saw the NDC as a friend and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a foe. We can’t sit here and pretend,” he stated.
The campaign official pressed the current administration to articulate specific strategies for addressing the mining crisis. “One year of your administration is almost gone. What is the NDC’s policy direction or blueprint to fight galamsey? None,” he asserted.
Earlier in August 2025, Aboagye questioned the government’s achievements during seven months in office. “What were we doing all this while? For the past seven months, what have you been doing?” he asked during a Newsfile appearance. He maintained the administration had not introduced any new strategies or initiatives beyond those inherited from the previous government.
NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah defended the government’s timeline in October, stating work had commenced on controlling illegal mining but results would require time. “However hard you try, one cannot produce a child in less than nine months. Work has started on the control of galamsey, but it will take some time for us to reclaim the forest and for the water bodies to be clean,” he explained.
Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah declared in April that fighting illegal mining constituted government policy and a national priority. The minister announced plans to restrict excavator imports, implement geo-tagging systems and train 2,000 water guards through Ghana Navy programmes.
NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong stated at a November 5 press conference that illegal mining had worsened under the current administration. He alleged that elected officials and party executives from various levels participated in mining operations, complicating enforcement efforts.
The issue featured prominently during the 2024 electoral campaign, with both major parties proposing solutions including greater regulatory oversight, improved artisanal mining practices and government support programmes. The persistence of illegal mining despite successive government interventions continues threatening water bodies, farmlands and forest reserves across Ghana.
