The Deputy Minister nominee for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has acknowledged that his previous remarks criticising the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration’s handling of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, were harsh.

This admission came during his vetting session before the Appointments Committee, where Ranking Member Alexander Afenyo-Markin pressed Dr Apaak to apologise for what he described as “unpleasant” social media posts about the former NPP government’s efforts to combat illegal mining.

Mr Afenyo-Markin expressed disapproval of the nominee’s comments, particularly those made during the heated 2024 election period, which accused the government of enabling and profiting from illegal mining activities.

The scrutiny led to a notable moment in the vetting process when Dr Apaak conceded his language may have been inappropriate.

“Honourable Chair, with hindsight, I must admit that the language was rather harsh,” Dr Apaak confessed.

In response, Afenyo-Markin acknowledged the gesture, saying, “Thank you very much. This comes without doubt of you being of the academia stock, and you’ve earned my respect.”

Following the session, Dr Apaak in an interview with Joy News' James Avedzi clarified that his apology was not motivated by fear of rejection by the committee but stemmed from genuine reflection.

"I was applying the infractions of a few against a government. It's as simple as that. If it were about approval, we have the numbers to approve," he explained.

Asked whether he was expecting that from Mr Afenyo-Markin in that early stage of the vetting process, he replied in the negative.

"No, I wasn't. It came as a shock," he pointed out.