A political storm is once again brewing over the fight against illegal mining—popularly known as galamsey—as Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah has launched a stinging attack on the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, describing its decision to withdraw the military from anti-galamsey operations as a “cardinal sin against humanity.”
Dr. Boamah’s harsh critique, posted on Facebook on April 4, 2025, came shortly after the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources outlined the government’s ongoing approach to combating illegal mining.
“The good news is, under the directive of President John Dramani Mahama, the soldiers are back to fight galamsey,” he announced. “We have saved 7 forest reserves so far.”
Interestingly, Mr Mahama had rejected the use of military to fight illegal miners, warning that he would free convicted miners when elected president.
This has apparently embolden the illegal miners popularly called galamseyers after the NDC won power.
Military Not Enough
Even Dr. Boamah has acknowledged that military force alone won’t win the battle.
The new Chief of the Defence Staff, Major General William Agyapong has experience to share having led the anti galamsey squad, Operation Vanguard in the Akufo-Addo’s first term in office before it was disbanded.
During his January 2025 vetting in Parliament, Omane Boamah told the Appointments Committee, “The fight against galamsey should not be viewed purely through the lens of soldiers going to fight it. We need to engage the people and inform them of other livelihood programmes and their benefits.”
Burning Excavators
The broader galamsey debate has reignited over the controversial practice of burning excavators.
Tamale Central MP, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has been vocal about the issue, both during President Akufo-Addo’s tenure and under the current administration.
Back in 2021, Murtala called Akufo-Addo’s endorsement of burning mining machinery “reckless and scandalous.”
The President had justified the move, urging critics to “go to court” if they disagreed.
“This country is ruled by laws,” Murtala responded on Citi TV. “And the President, being a lawyer, ought to have known that the Minerals and Mining Act does not permit that action.”
In a more recent statement on April 5, 2025, Murtala, Minister for Science and Environment looking at the larger picture of galamsey shifted tone, suggesting a new approach under Mahama’s leadership: “President Mahama should consider allowing us to burn seized excavators whose control boards have been deliberately removed by illegal miners.”
Mahama In Opposition
John Dramani Mahama in opposition took a sharper political angle, accusing President Akufo-Addo of not only failing to curb illegal mining but being complicit.
“If he were in some other jurisdiction, he would have resigned by now,” Mahama said during an interview with TV3.
“All their party executives have concessions and are doing illegal mining in forest reserves.”
President John Mahama maintained that while President Akufo-Addo publicly condemned galamsey, his party members engaged in it with impunity.
“The chanfan machines are there… it’s not something you can put in a handbag,” he said pointedly.
John Mahama claimed that when he was in office, he deported nearly 5,000 Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining, adding, “We didn’t destroy our diplomatic ties with China. They understood it was law enforcement.”
Aisha Huang
The name Aisha Huang has become a symbol of what critics call selective justice in the fight against galamsey.
Huang came to Ghana when the NDC in 2010 launched youth in mining leading to the escalation of the galamsey.
Ever since, there is no looking back with the recent unprecedented escalation of galamsey with the pollution of water bodies and forest reserves.
Deported in 2018 for illegal mining activities, she allegedly returned to Ghana through a land border and obtained a Ghana Card under the name Huang En.
President Akufo-Addo had, in 2022, pledged full support for the Attorney General to prosecute her.
“She must face the full punishment as enshrined in the Minerals and Mining Act,” the President declared.
Yet critics argue that the government’s handling of her case exposed a deeper unwillingness to prosecute influential actors.
NDC’s New Policy Direction
Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak recently announced a shift in policy, confirming that foreign nationals involved in galamsey would no longer face trial but deportation.
“We’re not interested in prosecuting them. They will be deported,” he said during a police engagement in the Ashanti Region.
This decision comes on the back of the deportation of 107 foreign nationals mostly Chinese accused of environmental crimes and fraud.
Muntala Mubarak stated the move aligns with Ghana’s strategy to cleanse the sector while maintaining international diplomacy.
-BY DANIEL BAMPOE
