Dennis Miracles Aboagye, an aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of undermining the fight against illegal mining, or galamsey, during the tenure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

Speaking during a visit to the Ayensu River, following the shutdown of the Kwanyako Headworks due to galamsey pollution, Mr. Aboagye claimed that the NDC's opposition tactics only worsened the problem.

“Galamsey is not politics. That is why all our time in government, I insisted that the NDC was charting a path to make galamsey political. I am of the view that the NDC’s posture and conduct in opposition, and how they publicly went into the galamsey areas and encouraged the miners, is one of the reasons why the NPP struggled to fight and win the galamsey fight,” he stated.

Mr. Aboagye pointed to the success of former President Akufo-Addo's ban on galamsey in 2017 as evidence that a strong government stance could lead to tangible improvements.

“For two years, when the then president put a ban on galamsey, we saw evidence that the water bodies that were looking muddy before could be cleaned,” he said.

He also urged President John Dramani Mahama and the current NDC government to take the fight against galamsey more seriously.

“We are appealing to the president and the NDC government. Our lives are at stake, and the future of this country is at stake,” Mr. Aboagye stressed.

Meanwhile, Professor Eric K. K. Avabare, President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), joined the growing chorus of criticism, accusing both the NPP and NDC of failing Ghanaians in their efforts to curb illegal mining.