The Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Dr Anthony Aubynn, has voiced strong reservations about the role of political actors in illegal mining operations, widely referred to in Ghana as galamsey.

Appearing on Channel One TV on Monday, 28 April, Dr Aubynn underscored political interference as a significant impediment to the nation's fight against illegal mining.

According to him, the complicity of politicians—some occupying top positions—has made the problem far more intractable than it ought to be.

“The worst of it all, and I have said and written about it in 2009, so it’s not a new thing, the worst of it all is the involvement of politicians in this business.

"It becomes so difficult to resolve when you have politicians, some of whom are in very leading positions, involved. You can’t successfully push them out,” he lamented.

Dr Aubynn also referenced the deeply entrenched nature of illegal mining in Ghana’s political and economic landscape, warning that entrenched interests are making genuine reform nearly impossible.

As an illustration, he cited former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s defence of Akonta Mining, which had been accused of engaging in illegal mining activities.

“That is how comes, I think the former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at one point in time said Akonta Mining was not doing anything illegal, even though the facts spoke otherwise,” he added.