The newly elected flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Frimpomaa Akosua Sarpong Kumankumah has stated that the pollution of Ghana's water bodies by illegal mining did not happen overnight, but rather because institutions failed to take action.

She explained that the issue is not complicated or sudden but resulted from the actions of ordinary Ghanaians trying to earn a living.

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Speaking on JoyNews' AM Show, Mrs Kumankumah said, "They wanted to make sure they could take care of themselves and their families. They have not erred, but the institutions have. All these problems are due to the institutions.

"If you do not have proper institutions working, and there is this level of corruption, that’s where I talk about governance. Government, according to Abraham Lincoln, is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people."

She explained that government forms the foundation and essence of democracy.

Mrs Kumankumah noted that Ghana had an established system in place before colonialism—the traditional structure. She added that even today, when a Chief enters a room, people stand to show respect, reflecting the core values of Ghanaian culture.

“If we dissolve our structures, we bring structures to govern the people, and it has now become by some people, for some people, not for the people. So, we have missed it—the institution, the governance of this country.”