The Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has criticised the government’s handling of illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, arguing that the situation has worsened rather than improved.

Speaking on The Pulse on Joy News on Wednesday, April 15, Mr Jinapor said it was “uncomfortable” to assess the performance of his successor but maintained that developments on the ground point to a troubling trend.

"It's always a bit uncomfortable to be critiquing your successor. But truly, I think on Galamsey, the verdict is very clear; the president himself has acknowledged publicly that his own party people are involved in Galamsey," he said.

He recalled earlier claims in Ghana’s political discourse that a determined president could end illegal mining within a short period.

“And we were told in Ghana that if a president wants to end galamsey, the president could do so in one week and that the president who is the commander in chief and has all the arsenals and tools at his disposal can end illegal small-scale mining in a week,” he added.

Mr Jinapor argued that environmental indicators suggest the fight against illegal mining is failing, citing the worsening condition of water bodies, forest depletion and land degradation as clear signs.

“It is clear from all the indicators, the turbidity levels of our water bodies, the depletion of our forest resources, the degradation of our landscape, and the widespread involvement in illegal small-scale mining by even leading members and functionaries of the NDC, as has been acknowledged by the president publicly, that the fight against illegal mining is nowhere being won,” he stated.

“If there is anything at all, I think it has worsened.”

The Damongo MP also questioned the absence of updates on investigations into the alleged involvement of ruling party officials in illegal mining activities.

He expressed concern over what he described as the growing normalisation of illegal mining within official structures, citing recent allegations reported in parts of the Western Region.

“Even yesterday, an NDC constituency chairman somewhere in the Western Region was accused directly, along with the district chief executive and other officials, for collecting taxes or fees from illegal small-scale mining,” Mr Jinapor noted.

“And where we are getting to where illegal small-scale mining seems to be institutionalised is absolutely worrisome, and it's institutionalised through officialdom.”

Mr Jinapor concluded that, based on current conditions, the government cannot credibly claim success in tackling illegal mining.

“I’m not too sure that the president or his government or the minister himself will be confident enough to step forward to say they’ve won the fight against illegal small-scale mining. On the contrary, I think it has gotten very worse.”