Convenor of the One Ghana Movement, Senyo Hosi, says President John Dramani Mahama faces significant economic and political constraints in tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
According to Mr Hosi, the government’s efforts to stabilise the economy, coupled with the country’s reliance on gold revenues, could make it difficult to take decisive action against illegal mining.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, September 30, Mr Hosi said President Mahama was also focused on building a legacy, with economic stabilisation emerging as a key achievement of his administration.
He argued that gold had played a major role in the economic stabilisation efforts, while illegal mining remains closely linked to the gold sector.
“He has a very real economic situation. He’s in pursuit of a legacy. What’s the biggest achievement of John Dramani Mahama since he became president? Think about it. The stabilisation of the economy. What has been the main driver of that? Gold. Of which you find a lot of galamsey,” he said.
Mr Hosi said these economic considerations could limit the government’s ability to pursue aggressive measures against illegal mining.
“The survival of his government is actually tied to that still staying on. There’s no way, as much as he may wish and will, that his party itself would actually do enough about galamsey,” he said.
He stressed that the challenge was not unique to the current administration, arguing that successive governments could face similar political constraints because of competing interests within their parties.
Mr Hosi also raised concerns about what he described as the growing political influence of illegal mining operators.
He alleged that some individuals involved in galamsey were increasingly financing political activities and seeking direct participation in politics.
“What is getting worse now is that galamsey has not just become something that you have a social capture; you actually have a political capture as well,” he said.
