Government shows renewed commitment in fight against galamsey — NDC’s Gbande
The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, says the government has renewed its resolve and intensified efforts to combat illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, December 30, Mr. Gbande said the assumption of office by the NDC has been followed by stronger measures to regularise mining activities, especially those contributing to the pollution of water bodies and the destruction of forest reserves.
He explained that the fight against galamsey is being approached collectively, with the President, ministers, and relevant state agencies working together to respond to growing public concerns over environmental degradation.
Mr. Gbande also pointed out that government attention has been directed at properly regulating artisanal and alluvial mining to ensure operations are conducted responsibly and within the framework of the law.
Addressing the involvement of foreign nationals in illegal mining, he said deportations have been consistently carried out whenever arrests are made.
According to him, several foreign nationals engaged in galamsey were deported in early 2025 through coordinated actions involving the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Immigration Service, and other security agencies.
He stressed that authorities have remained firm on the matter, noting that there has been no situation where foreign nationals arrested for illegal mining were allowed to stay in the country.
Mr. Gbande added that the government remains committed to safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources and ensuring that mining activities do not undermine environmental sustainability or public health.
“For us as a party and I believe a government ever since we came into power, there has been a considerable amount of renewed energy and commitment and first of all streamlining mining relaed activities in this country relative to pollution and what in one accord what the people of Ghana has demonstrated discomfort towards.
“So if you check the president, the ministers, everybody has come together to fight mining particularly in the water bodies and then the forest reserves and also streamlining the artisanal and alluvial mining activities.
“When it comes to the issues of deportation and all of that, I know that in the beginning of 2025 a lot of foreign nationals who have been engaged in or caught up in these things have been deported facilitated by the Minister for the Interior, the immigration and all other agencies involved. I do not think that there has been an occasion where such people were caught and they were not deported.”
Source: CNR
