By: Baba Mohammed Issahaq
National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, says the fight against illegal mining or galamsey is far more complicated than many people think, and cannot be reduced to politics.
Reflecting on the issue, Mr. Mustapha admitted it has been one of the toughest challenges any government has faced in recent years. He recalled how President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration came under heavy fire from the media, religious leaders, civil society groups, organised labour, and political opponents.
“Any enterprise involving cartels is not an easy thing to stop,” he said, likening galamsey to America’s decades-long struggle with drug trafficking. He pointed out that the problem is tied to money, influence, and community structures, making it difficult to address without local support.
He questioned why there were no public protests in mining communities, suggesting that chiefs and elders are often aware of and sometimes involved in preparations before mining begins.
According to Mr. Mustapha, galamsey was used as a political weapon to damage President Akufo-Addo’s reputation, costing the NPP support in many mining constituencies.
He linked the ongoing menace to last week’s devastating helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight government officials, including two cabinet ministers, describing it as one of the most painful moments in the nation’s recent history.
Expressing deep sympathy to President John Mahama and the bereaved families, he said, “This is a pain no leader should have to carry.”
He praised NPP members for joining their counterparts in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Ghana Armed Forces to mourn the victims, calling it “a true display of patriotism.”
