By Ashiadey Dotse
Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, says the illegal mining industry, popularly known as galamsey, is not limited to one political party but involves individuals from both the NDC and NPP, as well as pastors, journalists, and lawyers.
In an interview on Star FM on Friday, April 11, 2025, Mr. Gbande described galamsey as a deeply rooted and complex issue that cuts across political, religious, and professional lines. According to him, many people have used money from illegal mining to finance their education, contest parliamentary seats, and build wealth.
“Galamsey is a multifaceted industry. There are NDC people in it. There are NPP people in it. Pastors, lawyers, journalists—all involved,” he said. “Some people have gone to law school and entered Parliament using galamsey money.”
Mr. Gbande stressed that tackling illegal mining requires a strong, non-political, and well-coordinated national strategy. He argued that any genuine attempt to fight the menace must go beyond party lines and deal with all offenders equally.
He also accused the NPP government of worsening the problem, noting that under President Akufo-Addo’s administration, more than 2,000 small-scale mining licenses were issued—far more than the 102 issued under former President Mahama.
“The same president who promised to fight galamsey issued licenses for mining in forest reserves. And there’s been no serious effort at reclaiming the damaged land,” he stated.
Gbande said many illegal miners, including those linked to the ruling party, are still active in forest areas. He called for bold action, including reshuffling police commanders in mining communities to reduce corruption and introducing special courts to handle galamsey cases swiftly.
He also proposed that convicted illegal miners be required to reclaim the lands they destroyed.
“We can’t expect President Mahama to fix this in just three months if he returns to power, but we must build a proper, fair system to start dealing with it seriously,” he concluded.
