Journalist and host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, Paul Adom-Otchere, has defended President John Mahama’s stance on illegal mining, insisting that the President “spoke the truth” during his media encounter on Wednesday.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Thursday, September 11, he noted that the complexities of the galamsey crisis extend beyond law enforcement, with economic considerations making a state of emergency a costly option.

“The President spoke the truth on galamsey. It has always been true that dealing with galamsey has several strands. If you declare a state of emergency on all mining, you are likely to see a drop in your mining revenue. The Finance Minister is going to get upset with the President, and tell you that’s the point Asiedu Nketia made — you cannot declare a state of emergency because it’s going to affect the finances,” he explained.

He acknowledged criticisms that the NDC campaigned on a different tune while in opposition, pushing for a state of emergency, but suggested that such calls may have been more political than practical.

“Maybe during the campaign, not as much truth was said. Everything President Mahama said this time was true. But perhaps those who ran the campaign knew a state of emergency would affect the economy and still pushed it because it was campaign time,” he argued.

Mr Adom-Otchere stressed that while the President’s refusal to rush into a state of emergency might anger some, it reflects the realities of governing a developing country already battling post-COVID challenges, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and financial pressures.

He warned, however, that President Mahama’s admission that revenue from gold has increased despite galamsey activities could backfire internationally.

“This information that has been put out there potentially can have people coming to tell Ghana in 2027 that we can’t sell our gold because it is sourced from people destroying water bodies,” he cautioned, recalling similar restrictions placed on Ghana’s cocoa industry in 2008.

President Mahama, during his media encounter on September 10, at the Jubilee House, said his government would not rush into declaring a state of emergency in the fight against illegal mining, describing it as a last resort. He emphasised that the current legal framework provides enough powers to act without such drastic measures.

“I’ve been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we’ve not exhausted the powers we even have without a state of emergency,” the President explained.

Mr Adom-Otchere concluded that by openly stating these truths, the President had placed himself “in the firing line,” but ultimately prioritised transparency and fiscal responsibility.