Akufo Addo's Government Has Failed - Ato Forson

The Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has torn into the Akufo-Addo administration's handling of illegal mining, popularly referred to as galamsey.

Speaking in Parliament on October 15, 2024, Dr. Forson highlighted the environmental, social, and economic devastation created by galamsey across the length and breadth of Ghana, cataloging how the government has failed to take effective measures to stop the menace.

He attributed the situation largely to leadership failures and accused the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led NPP government of lacking the political will to take on galamsey head-on. He said even though the visible environmental degradation of water bodies, farmlands, and forest reserves was becoming quite noticeable, the government had allowed the illegal practice to continue. Most worrying, he suggested that some key officials in the government were complicit and were turning a blind eye to the activities of these illegal miners.

The impact of galamsey on Ghana's ecosystem cannot be understated. "Whole communities depend on sources of drinking water that are filled with mercury and other toxic chemicals from mining; agriculture very vital sector of the economy of Ghana-likewise suffered with farmlands being destroyed and productivity drastically reduced."

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Dr. Forson, while addressing the parliamentarians, called on them to act quickly, citing that doing nothing is no longer an option. He urged his colleagues to mount pressure on the government to ensure accountability and a far-reaching approach to driving back galamsey.

"Mr. Speaker, we are at a crisis point," Dr. Forson noted, underlining that Parliament must gird up to ensure the future of the country and its natural resources. 

Some of the biggest environmental challenges confronting Ghana are galamsey-related, and according to the Minority Leader, it's high time something quite radical was done to stop this from happening—before it is too late.