adverts
Charles Adongo Bawaduah, Member of Parliament for Bongo, has cautioned against the politicisation of the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, stating that it undermines the ability to find effective solutions to the issue.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, January 25, 2025, Bawaduah addressed the tragic clash at the AngloGold Ashanti Mine on January 18, where seven lives were lost after a group of 60 illegal miners breached the mine’s security fence.
The incident highlighted the dangers posed by illegal mining activities and raised further concerns about the management of the galamsey in the country.
adverts
Bawaduah emphasised the importance of treating the fight against galamsey as a national issue, rather than a political one. “Politicising it will make it difficult to handle because anything you put politics into becomes NDC versus NPP, and you fail to address it as a national issue,” he said.
His comments were in response to accusations from members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who had suggested that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was behind the incident.
Bawaduah condemned such accusations, describing them as baseless and counterproductive. “There is no evidence whatsoever to support the allegations that the NDC was behind this. Such conjectures don’t help in resolving security issues. We should view this as a national problem and work together to develop solutions,” he emphasised.
The MP acknowledged the socio-economic challenges that contribute to the persistence of illegal mining in Ghana, noting that despite its illegality, galamsey provides livelihoods for many people. “Gold and galamsey, for that matter, have supported many youths and families. Some have used it to pay school fees, build houses, and sustain their livelihoods.
The reality is, without jobs, they won’t stop,” Bawaduah said. This statement reflected the complex nature of the galamsey issue, where the need for economic survival often drives people to engage in illegal activities.
Bawaduah called on the government to create a more structured and regulated system that would allow individuals to participate legally in mining activities.
“The best way to address this issue is to create a system that enables legal participation in mining activities. This will help manage the situation while providing opportunities for the youth,” he concluded.
His remarks shed light on the importance of finding practical, long-term solutions to illegal mining, focusing on job creation and legal avenues for mining, rather than allowing the issue to be dominated by political blame games.
