The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, says the government has demonstrated renewed commitment and momentum in tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, December 30, Mr. Gbande said efforts to regulate mining activities have intensified since the NDC assumed office, particularly in areas affecting water bodies and forest reserves. He noted that the fight against illegal mining has been approached with a united front, involving the President, ministers and relevant state agencies.

According to him, the government has also placed strong emphasis on regulating artisanal and alluvial mining to ensure compliance with environmental and mining laws. He added that enforcement measures targeting foreign nationals involved in illegal mining have been consistently applied.

Mr. Gbande said several foreign nationals engaged in galamsey were deported in early 2025 through coordinated efforts by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Immigration Service and other security agencies. He stressed that authorities have remained firm, insisting that no foreign national arrested for illegal mining has been allowed to remain in the country.

He reaffirmed the government’s determination to protect Ghana’s natural resources and ensure that mining activities do not undermine environmental sustainability or public health.

“For us as a party and I believe a government ever since we came into power, there has been a considerable amount of renewed energy and commitment and first of all streamlining mining relaed activities in this country relative to pollution and what in one accord what the people of Ghana has demonstrated discomfort towards.
“When it comes to the issues of deportation and all of that, I know that in the beginning of 2025 a lot of foreign nationals who have been engaged in or caught up in these things have been deported facilitated by the Minister for the Interior, the immigration and all other agencies involved. I do not think that there has been an occasion where such people were caught and they were not deported," he said.