120 Days: Mahama has betrayed Ghanaians on galamsey promise – Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Caucus has criticised the government for what it describes as a disappointing and unpardonable betrayal in the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
At a press conference on Thursday, May 8, 2025, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused the NDC administration of abandoning its own promises to tackle illegal mining with urgency.
“The government’s inaction on illegal mining is not just disappointing, it is a betrayal. While in opposition, the NDC loudly declared that if elected, they would impose a state of emergency to confront galamsey head-on.
“But 120 days into office, the government not only has failed to do so, but they have completely abandoned the urgency they once preached,” he stated.
He further bemoaned the continued environmental destruction across mining communities.
“Illegal mining continues to devastate our river, poisons our lands, and affects communities. The promised state of emergency has vanished and it is replaced by silence and inaction, while the sector minister shares crocodile tears on national television over the sorry state of our rivers, forests, and farmlands,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has clarified that President John Dramani Mahama did not promise to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, within 120 days, emphasising that no such timeline was ever mentioned in the President’s public statements.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, May 8, Vanderpuye explained that although President Mahama has committed to ending galamsey, he did not specify a definitive timeframe for achieving that goal.
“It is not a fight that will end in 120 days, and President Mahama did not say anywhere that within 120 days he will end galamsey. He said he will end galamsey, so it could be today, one year, and others,” he said.
He urged the public to focus on the clear commitment being demonstrated by the administration, rather than expecting a swift resolution to a deeply entrenched issue.
“What we should expect to do is that the effort being put into the fight and the sort of commitment that is being shown will be taken over by all of us to end this menace,” he added.
