Reflecting on his government’s efforts to curtail the menace of illegal mining, President Akufo-Addo says he executed measures to address the issue although they were not popular.
In his final State of the Nation Address as head of state, the president repeated his assertion that his party lost parliamentary seats in the 2020 general election on account of its resolve to nip illegal mining in the bud.
He indicated that the losses suffered by his party in the House had gone on to create an uncooperative Parliament that stood spiritedly in opposition to his policy proposals during his second term.
Mr. Akufo-Addo said he was convinced that the government had to get a grip on galamsey in order to protect the country’s water and natural resources which were being destroyed by the unchecked activities.
“I knew and I was very much aware that fighting galamsey was not a universally popular position for a president to take. But I strongly enough about the need to protect our environment. I said I was prepared to put my presidency on the line in the defence of our lands and water bodies.
“Indeed Mr. Speaker, the fight against galamsey led directly to the loss of my party’s several parliamentary seats in the 2020 elections and to the make up of this 8th Parliament which affected the implementation of my policy agenda and impacted the second term of my presidency,” he said in the legislature.
He insisted that the fight against illegal mining did not imply that his administration was against mining but the need to engage in responsible mining in order to secure the nation’s resources for posterity.
Assessing his government’s impact in the mining sector, the president said his policies had been successful, pointing out that Ghana had become the largest producer of gold in Africa under his watch.
“I am happy to be able to say that we implemented some of the boldest and most progressive policies in the mining and forestry sectors. As a result of these policies, we overtook South Africa as the leading producer of gold on the continent in a consistently increased gold production to reach an unprecedented four million ounces last year,” he said.
The issue of illegal gold mining was topical in the lead-up to the 2024 general election with many including civil society organizations and labour groups calling for a ban on the act.
Subsequently, the presidency released a bolstered action plan to fight the scourge that had ravaged lands and water bodies across the country.
