Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has dismissed calls for the government to declare a state of emergency to curb illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on AbusuaFM’s AbusuaAdwenekyere Programme monitored by Kumasimail, Gbande argued that such a move is unnecessary, given that key institutions mandated to regulate mining are already actively engaged in the fight against illegal mining.
“If we say state of emergency, it is at a point when all factors are negative, but with this current government, the media is active on the fight against galamsey, the police are very much active, and the military is well involved,” he said.
He highlighted the Ministry of Defence’s declaration of forest reserves as security zones and the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to arrest and deport foreigners involved in illegal mining.
Gbande also praised the role of individuals like Hannah Bissue, an NDC member who exposed illegal mining operations, saying, “If she didn’t do it, nobody would even know about it.”
He further explained the government’s plan through the ministry of lands and national resource to rezone small-scale mining into cooperative mining groups, allowing 6 to 10 miners to work together responsibly on larger concessions.
“This will not be like the past; it will be proper cooperative mining where after digging a pit, they recover, plant trees, and benefit from it,” Gbande said.
Addressing political accusations, Gbande emphasized that illegal mining transcends party lines, involving members of both the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as well as pastors, journalists, and other Ghanaians.
“We are not accusing any political party; illegal mining involves all,” he said.
On the government’s progress, Gbande noted that the NDC administration has been in power for only five months and has already made strides in the fight against galamsey.
“The Media Coalition against Illegal Mining has praised some of our efforts. We are gradually taking over the system,” he added.
Gbande also criticized the previous NPP government, accusing it of mismanaging the fight against illegal mining and benefiting from it.
“They went to take loans for Green Ghana and misappropriated the funds, handing over galamsey to Chinese people,” he said.
Highlighting community engagement efforts, Gbande revealed that he and Joseph Yammin, National Organizer of the ND. recently held a pilot meeting with small-scale miners in Amenfi Central.
According to him, the meeting included small scale miners from all political backgrounds, focused on President Mahama’s vision for responsible mining that benefits both miners and the government.
He recounted “We met all small-scale miners, whether they are NPP or NDC members. We invited them through the district assembly and had a discussion about President Mahama’s vision for their work. We emphasized that we will not destroy their livelihoods; rather, the rule is that mining should be done responsibly so they can benefit from it, and the government will also benefit.
“They all agreed that their mining activities should be conducted properly. During that meeting, we did not discriminate based on political affiliation, we invited all small-scale miners,” he reaffirmed.
The Deputy General Secretary stated clearly that the government cannot declare a state of emergency at the moment.
He firmly stated “We cannot stop legal mining. So, if they say we should declare a state of emergency at a time when the institutions responsible for ensuring responsible mining are doing their work, I don’t think we are helping ourselves.
“There are places where, without mining, people cannot survive for even a week. They must continue to mine in order to live. But the question is: are they mining responsibly? That is what the NDC administration is trying to ensure,” he noted.
Mustapha Gbande defended the government’s six-month record, accusing the previous NPP administration of mismanagement and benefiting from galamsey activities.
He stressed “We are not one, two, or three years old in government; we are six months old. Would you compare this to the abysmal, deliberate mismanagement of President Akufo-Addo, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the current NPP executives in handling galamsey-related issues? You cannot compare. Under their government, they prioritized illegal mining and benefited from it.”
Gbande accused previous administration’s Operation Vanguard of targeting small-scale miners while shielding political allies.
“Operation Vanguard, which they created, was against small-scale mining. Nana Addo’s appointee, Mireku Duker for example, had a site at Tarkwa engaging in galamsey. But this government, me for instance if I get the benefit of gold money, I will enjoy it. However, President Mahama has banned government appointees from engaging in mining.”
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
