A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team, Hamzah Suhuyini, has clarified that the government never promised to end illegal mining or galamsey within a year.
According to him, the government is committed to this social contract and will review its interventions by the end of its four-year term.
Speaking on Joy News on September 25, Mr. Suhuyini said Ghanaians are rightfully concerned about the menace of illegal mining.
“So they are expecting this government, as part of the reset agenda that we promised, to ensure that we actually work assiduously to bring closure to the crisis,” he said.
When asked whether this would be too late given the alarming state of water bodies, Mr. Suhuyini responded saying the party never gave a one year timeline.
“Of course we did not promise that we would end anything associated with illegal mining in a matter of a year. That would’ve been disingenuous to do.”
He added, “I listened to the campaign promises we tailored and it was clear what we intended to do, and we have not reneged in any way when it comes to the fight against galamsey.”
According to him, critics from the opposition and sections of civil society have misconstrued the government’s commitments.
He also added that the previous NPP regime in a matter of 8 years had become complicit in the galamsey menace.
Mr. Suhuyini emphasized that the government is not idle, citing steps taken to stop mining in forest reserves and new regulatory frameworks to track excavators.
“As I speak to you, we have done everything possible to prevent mining in the forest reserves,” he said.
“For the first time this government has decided to put in place a special licensing regime for excavators, successfully tracking the activities of excavators imported into the country. That is progress,” he noted.
He also explained that the option of declaring a state of emergency has not been ruled out, but the government is already implementing several policy measures, including its Tree for Life and Blue Water initiatives.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the government to take stronger action.
Citizens and activists continue to highlight the destruction of water bodies and the environment, with social media campaigns under the hashtag #StopGalamseyNow intensifying.
The latest anti galamsey protest Fix The Country Movement was also held on September 21 and 22, calling for urgent action to halt the practice.
