Miracles Aboagye slams praise for govt’s galamsey admission

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Communications for the Bawumia campaign, has criticised sections of the public and civil society groups for praising government officials over recent comments on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

His reaction follows remarks by John Mahama, who acknowledged that illegal mining involves individuals across political lines, including members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as well as traditional and other networks.

“This Is Not New”

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, March 21, Mr. Aboagye described the praise as “hypocritical”, insisting that the issue has long been known.

“The president has admitted something that all of us have always known. Even when we were in government, I highlighted that NDC members were involved in galamsey,” he said.

Call for Action, Not Acknowledgement

Mr. Aboagye argued that while acknowledging wrongdoing is important, it must be followed by decisive action. He questioned the government’s efforts so far, claiming that only one new measure has been introduced since taking office.

He further noted that several key interventions—such as Operation Vanguard and military-led arrests in forest reserves—were already in place before the current administration.

“Galamsey is a serious issue… if you already knew about it, what have you done about it since taking office?” he asked.

Accountability Emphasised

Using a household analogy, Mr. Aboagye stressed the need for accountability in tackling illegal mining:

“If I know that the beef I left in my fridge was stolen by my son, I won’t go complain to my neighbour. I deal with the person responsible.”

He concluded by urging the government to focus on concrete actions to curb galamsey, rather than receiving commendation for acknowledging a problem that is already widely known.