The Director of Communications for the Bawumia Campaign, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has taken a swipe at the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) over what he describes as its failed approach to tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, the NDC “lost the fight against galamsey even before it began,” and must stop the theatrics and confront the reality of the situation.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, November 8, Mr. Aboagye said the government’s current strategy has proven ineffective and requires a complete review.

“It’s time for this government to pause, stop the theatrics, and admit the reality,” he said.

“We all make mistakes. Galamsey has defeated this NDC government before they even started the fight. The government is completely down when it comes to this fight.”

Mr. Aboagye argued that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, under President Akufo-Addo, made significant strides in addressing illegal mining after assuming office in 2017, including a 20-month ban on small-scale mining, the deployment of the military and police to mining areas, and the introduction of community mining schemes and river protection task forces.

He noted that those interventions initially yielded results, as river bodies cleared up within 20 months. However, the problem resurfaced shortly after the ban was lifted in late 2018.

“Immediately the ban was lifted, the criminals went back. Six months later, the whole problem started again,” he said.

Mr. Aboagye accused the NDC of politicising the issue by blaming government officials for the menace instead of proposing workable solutions.

“By 2021, galamseyers saw the NDC as a friend and the NPP as a foe. We can’t sit here and pretend,” he stated.

He further questioned what he called the NDC government’s lack of a clear policy or plan to tackle illegal mining nearly a year into its tenure.

“One year of your administration is almost gone. What is the NDC’s policy direction or blueprint to fight galamsey? None,” he said.