One of the key dynamics that defined the outcome of the December 2024 elections was illegal mining, also known as ‘galamsey’.
The practice has plunged Ghana’s environment into chaos, polluting water bodies and destroying forest reserves, with many describing it as an existential threat.
While many felt the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration failed in the fight, others believe the John Mahama administration hasn’t done enough to curb the menace, one year after taking over.
On TV3’s BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, host Roland Walker asked panelists to rate the government’s fight against galamsey.
While some panelists lauded government for taking a step in repealing the law allowing mining in forest reserves, the United Party’s (UP) Communications Director, Solomon Owusu, refused to rate the efforts, saying, “I’m not going to rate, I’ll only rate when the water bodies are clean.”
He counted the administration’s remaining days, saying he’ll only rate their efforts if Ghana’s water bodies show change. “This government was voted in for 1,460 days. 365 are almost gone, leaving about 1,100 days. I’ll rate him after his tenure to see whether indeed he was able to bring the turbidity levels very low. But where we are now, I’m not going to rate.”
Owusu expressed his party’s readiness to push the government to succeed, saying that was the reason the UP gave President Mahama its manifesto, the Great Transformational Plan (GTP).
“But we’ll continue to push him. It’s the reason why we gave him the Great Transformational Plan (GTP).”
He said the UP wants the government to succeed, as it’s in their interest like any political party with a positive intent. “We’ll encourage him to succeed. It’s in our interest that the President succeeds. No Ghanaian should want him to fail just to take over,” he stated.
According to him, if Ghanaians had pushed Akufo-Addo enough, he wouldn’t have defended galamsey kingpins like Wontumi’s Akonta Mining.
“If we had pushed President Akufo-Addo to succeed, we’ll not be having these despicable acts, situations where he himself was exonerating galamsey kingpins.”
