The Government of Ghana continues to face pressure from various stakeholders, individuals, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to put an end to illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey in the country.

Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, the founder and leader of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), is the latest to add his voice to the call to stop galamsey. According to him, the ruling government has failed to take action against this menace due to partisan interests and considerations.

“We have placed politics above our human lives and our environment. Politicians are afraid to say stop galamsey, stop mining in the protected forests that we have, stop mining in our water bodies, stop degrading our lands. It is because of politics, and it is because people are afraid to lose votes,” he remarked during a live conversation on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

The businessman cum politician accused the government of deliberately failing to combat illegal mining, stating, “It is not that they do not know what to do; they know the right thing. If you go to Jubilee House today, everyone there knows what the right thing to do is, but there is an election coming. People want votes, so they don’t want to make anyone angry.”

Papa Kwesi Nduom condemned the activities of illegal miners and asserted that if the mining of the country’s underground minerals is not beneficial to Ghana, then there is no need to exploit these resources until proper mechanisms are established to protect the environment.

“So those doing the wrong thing, let’s stop them and let’s put an end to this political issue surrounding galamsey and move forward to make this country great and strong,” he said.

Recently, Joy News' Erastus Asare and three of his colleagues were attacked by some armed men in the Ashanti Region while they were reporting on the degradation of one of the forests affected by galamsey.

The crew were subjected to physical abuse by the armed men, who seized their working equipment, including a drone and SD cards.

Recent research indicates that the country is losing its green forests and water bodies to the activities of galamsey, with ongoing calls for various authorities and the government at large to take a firm stand against this practice to safeguard the country’s future.