Kow Abaka Essuman, a lawyer and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for a collective and non-partisan approach to tackling illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, describing it as a “national matter” that demands unity beyond political lines.
Speaking on Starr Chat with Bola Ray monitored by MyNewsGh, Essuman cautioned that the country’s long-standing battle with illegal mining would remain futile if political parties continued to weaponise it. “We cannot play politics with it,” he said.
“Mining has been with us for many years. It’s one of our biggest foreign exchange earners, and we can’t do without it. But the way we handle galamsey must change.”
He stressed that governments must resist the temptation to politicize the issue for electoral advantage.
Reflecting on his time in government, Essuman said his administration was often accused of politicizing the galamsey fight, but he believes the current government is facing similar challenges.
“If the government is honest enough to accept the mistakes of politicizing the fight, they can bring everyone on board,” he noted.
Essuman further called for the inclusion of past policymakers and experts who worked on anti-galamsey strategies, arguing that new administrations often fail because they try to “reinvent the wheel.”
He added that lessons from previous efforts could be vital to reversing the environmental damage caused by illegal mining.
To him, effective enforcement and open collaboration across political divides remain Ghana’s best hope. “If we depoliticize it, bring everyone on board and adopt the right technology, this problem can be solved,” he said. “It’s tough, but not insurmountable.”
