The Minority in Parliament says the galamsey situation has worsened under President John Mahama, accusing the government of lacking the political will to tackle the crisis.
The group described the President’s recent meeting with selected Civil Society Organisations on illegal mining as a publicity gimmick to mask his administration’s failures.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the Minority said the government’s responses at the encounter downplayed the urgency of what it called a looming national disaster.
It said the situation keeps worsening by the day, with increasing turbidity levels, contaminated soils and food crops, and massive destruction of forests and farmlands.
The Caucus cited a recent joint report by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority confirming heavy contamination of the environment, saying it was shocking that the President still claimed he was winning the fight against illegal mining.
The statement said that instead of taking decisive action, the government was hiding behind propaganda to deceive Ghanaians.
According to the Minority, the government has only renamed policies introduced under the Akufo-Addo administration without showing real commitment.
It recalled that under Akufo-Addo, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Operation Vanguard, and other initiatives were launched to address the menace.
It also mentioned reforms that included the training of miners by the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, and amendments to the Minerals and Mining Act to strengthen sanctions.
The group said these interventions helped the previous government gain control over the problem before leaving office, but the Mahama administration had abandoned them.
It pointed to the current rebranding of “Red Zones” as “security zones” and “Operation Halt II” as “NAIMOS,” accusing the government of playing semantics instead of acting.
The statement warned that Ghana is facing escalating health and environmental dangers, with dangerously high turbidity levels, damaged food and water sources, and forests turning into mining enclaves.
It said these are pressing realities that endanger lives and threaten national sustainability.
The Minority called on civil society, the clergy, traditional leaders, and all stakeholders to speak out as they did in the past. It urged the President to move beyond rhetoric and show real political will, insisting that the fight against illegal mining can only be won through bold, consistent, and effective action. Anything less, it said, would be a grave abdication of duty to the people of Ghana and future generations.
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