The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Francis Adomako, has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over what he describes as its failure to deliver on promises made during the 2024 election campaign to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
His comments follow the death of at least seven illegal miners after a mining pit collapsed at Manso Kaniago in the Manso Adubia District of the Ashanti Region on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
According to the Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Ibrahim, 12 people were working in the pit when it caved in.
He said four people managed to escape, although one was unconscious, while seven bodies had been retrieved. Efforts were ongoing to locate another miner believed to be trapped underground.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi Mail, Dr Adomako said the latest tragedy was evidence that the illegal mining menace had not improved despite the numerous commitments made by the NDC when it was in opposition.
He recalled that ahead of the 2024 general election, several leading members of the NDC made strong promises to tackle illegal mining if elected into office.
Dr Adomako cited a press conference held by then-NDC National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi near the River Ankobra, as well as engagements and tours of mining communities by the party’s mining committee, as examples of the NDC’s campaign against galamsey.
He said the party’s mining committee, which included Dr Tony Obeng and Michael Kwadwo Peprah, among others, toured mining areas and made several commitments to address the menace.
“Where are all the promises they made to Ghanaians before the 2024 elections? What do we see today? Nothing has changed. In fact, galamsey is becoming worse, particularly in the Ashanti Region,” Dr Adomako said.
He argued that the death of the seven miners at Manso Kaniago should serve as a wake-up call to the government to intensify efforts to stop illegal mining and secure abandoned and dangerous mining pits.
The NPP regional secretary further claimed that intelligence available to his side from National Security sources indicated that at least four people die every month in the Ashanti Region through incidents associated with illegal mining.
He described the situation as “very unfortunate” and said the recurring deaths demonstrated the need for urgent and coordinated action.
Mahama’s 2024 galamsey pledge
Dr Adomako’s criticism comes against the backdrop of several anti-galamsey commitments made by then-NDC presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama during the 2024 campaign.
President Mahama pledged to deploy modern technology, including artificial intelligence, to locate illegal mining operations, track excavators and geofence mining concessions. (Pulse Ghana)
He also proposed legislation to prevent illegal mining on cocoa farms and called for stronger involvement of traditional authorities in protecting forests and regulating access to natural resources. (Adomonline.com)
Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC’s National Communications Officer, had also repeatedly accused the then Akufo-Addo administration of failing to deal effectively with galamsey. In a 2020 press conference held from the banks of the River Pra, he accused the government of paying lip service to the fight against illegal mining. (MyJoyOnline)
Dr Adomako said the NDC should therefore be judged by the same standards it applied to the previous administration when it was in opposition.
Sam George defends Mahama government
However, the government’s position has been that significant measures have been introduced to tackle illegal mining.
Communications Minister Sam George, for instance, has argued that it would be unfair to expect President Mahama to completely eradicate the menace within a few months of taking office, stressing that the previous administration had eight years to deal with the problem.
He said the Mahama government had already recovered several forest reserves from illegal miners and maintained that more action was required. (Graphic)
President Mahama has also maintained that his government remains committed to the fight against galamsey. His administration has announced measures including tighter controls on excavator imports, improved tracking of heavy-duty mining equipment and enforcement against illegal mining. (The Presidency, Republic of Ghana)
In an earlier address, the President said his administration had adopted a multi-pronged approach involving law enforcement, stakeholder engagement, reclamation of degraded lands and alternative livelihoods. (The Presidency, Republic of Ghana)
Despite these measures, Dr Adomako insists that the continued loss of lives and destruction associated with illegal mining indicate that the government’s efforts have yet to produce the results promised to Ghanaians.
He has therefore urged the NDC government to establish a more effective and inclusive platform involving security agencies, traditional authorities, local assemblies, mining stakeholders and affected communities to coordinate the fight against illegal mining.
“The government must create an enabling platform that will help us check illegal mining across the country. We cannot continue to lose lives every month and pretend that everything is under control,” he said.
He called for intensified enforcement, the immediate securing of abandoned mining pits and stronger action against individuals and networks financing illegal mining operations.
The Manso Kaniago tragedy has once again brought the human cost of illegal mining into sharp focus, with calls growing for authorities to move beyond political rhetoric and implement sustained measures to protect lives, forests, farmlands and water bodies.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
