Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Sanja Nanja, has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for dismissing President John Dramani Mahama’s recent engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on illegal mining, describing the reaction as a clear show of disregard for Ghanaians.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, Mr. Nanja said the President’s meeting with CSOs and stakeholders was a necessary step in building a united front against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, which has become a major national crisis.

He argued that the NPP’s decision to label the meeting as “needless” shows the party’s habitual dismissal of national consensus-building efforts.

“In the first place, the galamsey fight, from the onset, we have said it is a collective fight, and we have stakeholders. You can’t fight galamsey alone. It is a problem of livelihood, so we need everybody on board — every stakeholder, including academia and civil society organisations,” he said.

“In an attempt to say that that meeting was needless, it’s one of the disregard of the NPP for Ghanaians, because now we have expert knowledge, we have CSOs who are dealing with galamsey, and that meeting was to bring everyone together to fight it collectively,” Mr. Nanja emphasised.

Mr. Nanja defended President Mahama’s renewed commitment to tackling illegal mining, noting that the administration has already rolled out several policy interventions aimed at regulating small-scale mining while protecting livelihoods.

“When the President started, he said, ‘I am determined, let us win this galamsey fight together.’ And the President was clear in his mind that he was determined. A lot of measures have been put in place,” he added.

His comments were in response to Deputy Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Akwasi Konadu, who earlier described the President’s engagement with CSOs as a “charade,” accusing the government of avoiding the core issues in the fight against illegal mining.

However, Mr. Nanja insisted that government actions speak louder than political rhetoric. “Our brothers on the other side are just hammering on declaring a state of emergency,” he said. “Now, the government has declared those areas as security zones. If you don’t have business there, you don’t go there.”