The Government’s Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has said that President John Mahama has restated his commitment to the fight against illegal mining.
According to him, President Mahama recently held a meeting of all those who matter in the security of the country and tasked them to arrest anybody found engaging in the illegality.
“President Mahama says even if his brother is involved in galamsey, they should go after him,” Mr Ofosu revealed on TV3’s KeyPoints on July 19.
“Fighting galamsey requires political will and President Mahama has that will,” he added.
Mr Ofosu further noted that the notion that fighting galamsey will dim the fortunes of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the next elections is wrong.
“President Mahama believes that fighting galamsey will rather enhance the fortunes of the party,” he stated.
The Minister in Charge of Government Communication disclosed that since the assumption of office of the NDC government, “518 persons have been arrested for galamsey.”
Contributing to the same topic, a leading member of the Convention People’s Party (NPP) Kwame Jantuah, called for the arrest and prosecution of all the political figures involved in illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey).
He says that until the financiers and the political actors are arrested, the problem cannot be solved.
“Anybody involved in galamsey should be prosecuted irrespective of political colours, ” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, July 19.
He added, “Let us tackle those who are financing it; until we tackle them we should forget about it. The politicians in it should be brought to book.”
Kwame Jantuah further called for a ban to be placed on all forms of small-scale mining in order to deal with the illegal ones among them.
“Ban all forms of small-scale mining, then put ina much better structure,” he said.
His comments come at a time the third National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Abanga Yakubu Alhassan vowed to forfeit his position if evidence is brought against him to confirm his involvement in illegal mining.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has directed the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, Joseph Yamin and Abanga Yakubu Alhassan over illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s NewsCentral, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Yakubu Alhassan while denying his involvement in illegal mining explained that although he has a mining concession, he does not possess any excavator working for him to suggest that he is into ‘galamsey’.
“Yes, I have a mining concession but as we speak, I have no excavator working for me anywhere that is why I have stated clear that whoever has any evidence against me that I am doing illegal mining or formed a taskforce going round and extorting money for me, I will forfeit my position as the National Vice-Chairman of the party,” he stated.
Mr. Yakubu Alhassan expressed his willingness and preparedness to honour any invitation by EOCO and assist with investigations into the matter.
“I am prepared to go to EOCO, I am a law-abiding citizen,” he noted.
Abanga stressed that as a “principled” man as he believes that “integrity is better than riches.”
Similarly, the National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, Joseph Yamin, has also denied engaging in illegal mining activities.
READ ALSO: Attorney-General directs EOCO to investigate Joseph Yamin and one other for illegal mining
His denial was contained in a post he made on Facebook on Monday, July 14, 2025.
“My attention has been drawn to a press release from the concern small scale miners in which they claim myself and the National Vice Chairman, Abanga are behind an illegal taskforce visiting their sites. I want to put on record I have no hand in the said allegations being leveled at me,” he wrote.
